Willow Cottage – Part Two: Christmas Cheer. Bella Osborne

      

      

      Published by Avon

      An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

      The News Building

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins 2016

      Copyright © Bella Osborne 2016

      Bella Osborne 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.

      Ebook Edition © October 2016 ISBN: 9780008180997

      Source ISBN: 9780008181024

      Version: 2017-11-16

       WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ESCAPE TO WILLOW COTTAGE

      ‘Loved this book, so light-hearted and amusing’

      ‘A lovely read’

      ‘Oh what a little treasure this is! A cast of great characters, lovely Cotswold village and Beth trying to cope with the disaster she has bought’

      ‘Full of wit and charm’

      ‘Great characters who have quickly become established and rooted in my imagination. Very funny, but with deeper undercurrents woven in’

      ‘Loved the story, couldn’t put it down’

      ‘Absolutely loved this book, hooked from the start’

      ‘Three Words: Brilliant, Charming and Moving’

       ‘This is a wonderful read’

       In memory of a truly amazing woman, my Grandma 1903–1993

      Table of Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

       Copyright

       What Readers Are Saying About Escape to Willow Cottage

       Dedication

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

      

       Chapter Fourteen

      

       Chapter Fifteen

      

       Chapter Sixteen

      

       Chapter Seventeen

      

       Chapter Eighteen

      

       Chapter Nineteen

      

       Chapter Twenty

      

       Chapter Twenty-One

      

       Chapter Twenty-Two

      

       Acknowledgements

      

       Keep Reading…

      

       About the Author

      

       About the Publisher

       Chapter Eleven

      ‘Carly!’ said Beth, her voice sharp.

      Carly spun in Beth’s direction with an exaggerated movement. With slow blinks she looked at Beth until something registered.

      ‘Beth! This is … um … what was your name again?’ She swung precariously back towards Jack who stopped her falling on him with one hand whilst holding the pub table steady with the other.

      ‘I know who it is.’ Beth was trying to suppress the annoyance that was rapidly developing within her.

      ‘He’s lov-erly,’ cooed Carly whilst she stroked his arm in a deliberate action.

      ‘I’d like to know what he’s planning on doing with my drunk friend?’ Beth retorted. Jack let go of Carly as if she were a lit firework.

      As the accusation slowly registered, Carly looked hurt. ‘I’m not dunk!’ she protested as she slowly slid towards the floor.

      Jack was looking blindly from one woman to the other as if he’d just been teleported