Secrets (50 page)
We build too many walls and not enough bridges
Isaac Newton (1643–1727)
Acknowledgements
My sincerest hope is that I have done justice to Saltburnby-the-Sea – one of my favourite places in the world. I am immensely grateful to the people of this lovely town and environs and I've enjoyed many years of happy visits whatever the weather. My thanks, in particular, to Frank Sutton (www.haveyoubeenhere.co.uk) and Rebecca Hilton (www.saltburnbysea.com). I hasten to add that the key characters in
Secrets
are entirely fictitious, as are The Resolution, Swallows and The Everything Shop.
At the Transporter Bridge, I am indebted to Bridgemaster Alan Murray for encouraging me to go up and over, and to Rodger Wakerley for his after-hours support, also to the knowledgeable and friendly staff who add extra colour to that great big sky-blue bridge. Thank you, David Pinder, for letting me hold on tight and for telling me to get a move on when my knees were knocking 160 feet above the River Tees that sunny Sunday in July.
For local knowledge and hospitality, my gratitude goes to my friends and family in the North East, particularly Nigel and Jennifer Garton, David and Victoria Pinder, Lorna Sutcliffe, Jane and Jonny Sutcliffe. And of course to Andy Sutcliffe for accompanying me over the years and in all seasons to the end of Saltburn pier, as well as up the Cliff Lift, down the Valley Gardens and along the coast in both directions – and for taking me to the Transporter Bridge at all times of the day… and night!
At Haringey Library Services, my thanks go to Sandra, Lai-Ming, Hilary, Germaine and to my fellow unofficial writer-in-residence Jonny Zucker.
In terms of general research, I am grateful to David Boughton and Bill Smith, also Darren Thwaites and Paul Delphanque at Gazette Media. In terms of general relaxation, a big thank you to my Parelli pals up the yard (Souki, Sue and Sarah) and to my friends at the John Baird (Keith, Sharon and Sean).
My children Felix and Georgia, my parents, my brother Dan and my network of beautiful friends have all played a vital part in this book's creation.
In memory of Liz Berney 1968–2005
www.saltburnbysea.com
www.haveyoubeenhere.co.uk
www.chocolinis.co.uk
www.realmeals.co.uk
www.camfields.co.uk
www.hawkinsgallery.net
www.middlesbrough.gov.uk
www.transporterbridge.net
www.clevelandbridge.com
www.gazettelive.co.uk
www.ivaadvice.org.uk
About the Author
Freya gave up a Ph.D. to write her first novel,
Sally
, in 1991.
For four years she turned deaf ears to parents and friends
who pleaded with her to ‘get a proper job’. She went on
the dole and did a succession of freelance and temping
jobs to support her writing days.
In 1995 throwing caution to the wind, Freya sent three
chapters and a page of completely fabricated reviews to a top
literary agent, and met with success: five publishers entered a
bidding war for her book. In 1996,
Sally
was published to
great acclaim and Freya was heralded as a fresh voice in fiction.
Her next books,
Chloë, Polly, Cat, Fen, Pip, Love Rules, Home
Truths
and
Pillow Talk
have all been bestsellers. Freya won the
Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2008 for
Pillow Talk
.
She lives in London with her family.
To find out more about Freya and her books,
log onto www.freyanorth.com
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Acclaim for…
pillow talk:
‘Fast paced, page-turning and full of endearing, interesting characters.
I defy anyone who doesn't fall in love with it’
Glamour
‘Warm, sexy, satisfying’
Heat
‘Darkly funny and sexy – literary escapism at its very finest’
Sunday Independent
‘The novel's likeable central characters are so well painted that you feel
not only that you know them, but that you know how right they are
for each other… the beauty of the North Yorkshire countryside
contrasts convincingly with the bustle of London’
Daily Telegraph
‘North charts the emotional turmoil with a sexy exactitude’
Marie Claire
‘With a storyline packed full of teenage nostalgia and
old-fashioned romance, this is a must-read’
Woman
‘A heart-warming and witty romance’
Bella
‘North has excelled in making her latest novel fresh and exciting.
Pillow Talk
is an absorbing novel which will capture and hold
your full attention from the opening pages … North keeps
the reader guessing to the very end’
Irish Tatler
love rules:
‘Freya North has matured to produce an emotive novel that deals
with the darker side of love – these are real women, with real feelings’
She
‘Tantrums, tarts, tears and text-sex… what's not to love about
this cautionary tale for true romantics?’
Heat
‘A distinctive storytelling style and credible, loveable characters…
an addictive read that encompasses the stuff life is made of:
love, sex, fidelity and, above all, friendship’
Glamour
‘Plenty that's fresh to say about the age-old differences
between men and women’
Marie Claire
‘Sassy, feel-good chick lit with a good sting in the tail’
Cosmopolitan
home truths:
‘An eye-poppingly sexy start leads into a family reunion laced
with secrets. Tangled mother/daughter relationships unravel
and tantalising family riddles keep you glued to the end’
Cosmopolitan
‘You'll laugh, cry, then laugh some more’
Company
‘Freya North manages to strike a good balance between drama, comedy and
romance, and has penned another winner in
Home Truths
… touching, enjoyable’
Heat
‘An addictive read with a realistic view of home life, sisterhood and identity crisis’
Prima
Also by Freya North:
Sally
Chloë
Polly
Cat
Fen
Pip
Love Rules
Home Truths
Pillow Talk
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.
Harper
An imprint of HarperCollins
Publishers
77–85 Fulham Palace Road,
Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpercollins.co.uk
1
Copyright © Freya North 2009
Freya North asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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 e-books.
EPub Edition © 2009 ISBN: 9780007325801
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