Constance

Constance
Rosie Thomas

A novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Iris and Ruby.Connie Thorne was a foundling, a child left by her mother for strangers to find. Forty years on, without ever being able to discover her true identity, she has put all her energy into creating a flawless shell for herself.As a child, she was musical, her sister Jeanette was deaf. One of them was dark, the other sunny. Yet they both fell in love with the same man. And her feelings for Bill, Jeanette's husband, are the one part of herself that Connie can never reshape.When she hears the news that her sister is dying, the last thing Connie wants is to leave her Bali home and return to London. But with the bitterness of betrayal still between them, Connie and Jeanette have to learn to forgive each other.Surrounded by family, can Constance make her peace with who she really is – and who she loves?

Constance

Rosie Thomas

Copyright (#ulink_462df66f-b12c-5912-96a6-359e212e6b13)

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2007

Copyright © Rosie Thomas 2007

Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2016 Jacket photographs © Shutterstock.com (http://Shutterstock.com)

Rosie Thomas asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780007173563

Ebook Edition © April 2016 ISBN: 9780007389551

Version: 2016-04-28

Praise (#ulink_69721e55-0a91-5000-a974-be5ea4114a80)

‘Her evocation…touches on the variances and nuances of love between men and women, and the power of family relationships to destroy lives’

ELIZABETH BUCHAN, Daily Mail

‘Thomas can write with ravishing sensuality’

KATE SAUNDERS, The Times

‘Rosie Thomas writes so beautifully about the feelings of people in war, the imminence of death and the importance of passionate and romantic love’

DAME TANNI GREY-THOMPSON

‘Honest and absorbing, Rosie Thomas mixes the bitter and the hopeful with the knowledge that the human heart is far more complicated than any rule suggests’

Mail on Sunday

‘Rosie Thomas writes with beautiful, effortless prose, and shows a rare compassion and a real understanding of the nature of love’

The Times

‘Thomas’s novels are beautifully written. This one is a treat’

Marie Claire

‘A terrific book, beautifully written…questions about identity, belonging, infidelity, dying and forgiveness make this a very moving study of the human heart’

Australian Women’s Weekly

‘A heart-rending story…exquisitely drawn’

Express

‘Thomas creates unforgettable characters and settings. She’s a superb writer’

Choice

‘Terrific…a real weepy’

Sunday Times

Dedication (#ulink_3c943dc0-a8dc-5b1c-8251-2eae2dfa1e32)

For Cameron MitchelsonBali

Contents

Cover (#u0792ae59-ecd9-590a-bcc5-163c15ae9eb0)

Title Page (#u179ceebf-e22c-556f-b6c5-140e0c28abaa)

Copyright (#u9ad6012f-0488-58a8-925d-a9e3507f527a)

Praise (#ud2774445-9260-5fd1-b8dc-5963da3e5426)

Dedication (#ub700bfc8-501d-5ca0-a571-00721638dbac)

PROLOGUE (#u7c77783f-b143-56f2-a6cd-2baec608aa45)

ONE (#u7d37d11f-e2b4-5553-9e6d-ea1b3d2c51e8)

TWO (#ucdc9234b-b330-59d1-8ae1-e042c3c33f48)

THREE (#u033dcf2a-faae-5d80-ba2f-44d65ba4857d)