Sara Foster - Beneath the Shadows

The schoolhouse stood as dark and empty as it had the past few months, since the day the bodies had been taken away from the bottom of the Leap. Grace had kept her composure remarkably well, until she had seen an ambulance head silently past the house. Then the tears had begun to stream down her face. That phase had lasted a long time – way beyond the point that her parents and Annabel had arrived, and they had all moved to stay in Ockton while an autopsy was conducted. She had been touched at how full the church had been for Adam’s funeral – all sorts of people coming up from London, including James, who sat towards the back, on the opposite side to Ben.

After that, Grace and Millie had gone to London for a time, before returning with Grace’s parents for the weekend, to oversee the final details on the cottage and put it up for sale. Yesterday, soon after they had arrived in Ockton, Grace had spotted Liza hurrying along the street with a pushchair. Before she could decide what to do next, Liza had looked across and caught her eye. Grace had smiled, and was about to go over to congratulate her, but Liza’s stare was empty. She had put her head down and hurried away.

Her father’s grim voice interrupted her reverie. ‘Do you reckon it will ever sell?’ He flicked a hand towards the schoolhouse as they drove by. Grace followed his gaze without a word. It had been empty for months, its ‘For Sale’ sign now much more battered and weathered than the one outside the cottage. Each time Grace went past she didn’t dare look at the windows in case she saw a small boy’s lonely face – or, worse, the viperous eyes of a woman who felt herself wronged.

The car moved on, up the hill, before her dad swore and swerved at the top as a sheep hurried out of harm’s way, two small lambs scampering behind.

‘This place…’ he muttered.

Grace leaned round to check on Millie, who was turning the pages of a board book, her little hearing aids fastened firmly onto her ears. Seeing that her daughter was amusing herself contentedly, she settled back in the car seat and let out a long, slow breath.

A little while later they came to a tall stone cross. ‘See that?’ Grace pointed. ‘That’s one of the way markers Annabel mentioned in her article. People used to leave pennies on the top of it for poor travellers to collect on their way past.’

Her dad looked, but didn’t comment. However, when they were on the main road leading to Ockton, he said, ‘Now, Grace, I’ve been wanting to talk to you…’

Grace sensed what was coming, and waited.

‘I don’t see the need to rush off overseas. Come and stay with your mother and me for a little while.’

‘Dad, I’ve got the tickets booked! I won’t be gone for long – and I need a holiday,’ she added, knowing that her reason for going was much more than that. It was a longing to see a tall, dark-haired man who lived on the other side of the world, whose presence she’d missed for close on two months, despite emails and phone calls.

‘Millie will be a horror on the flight.’

‘Dad, stop!’

‘I know you, Gracie, I know exactly why you’re going. And I don’t like him.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because he lives twelve thousand miles away, for Christ’s sake.’

‘Hang on a minute, you moved to France – it’s only a longer plane journey.’

‘Hmm.’ He didn’t look impressed. ‘Well, when you get back, come and stay with me and your mother.’

‘Dad, I’m not staying with you again while Mum insists on keeping that clock,’ Grace said, only half-joking. ‘It stops when it chooses, you know, usually on witching hour. Why she wants it is beyond me.’

Her dad shrugged his shoulders. ‘It’s an heirloom for Millie, apparently. Your mum didn’t think it was right to part with it – we can mind it for her until she’s old enough to decide what to do with it.’

Grace acquiesced. ‘Well, it’s nice of you. But if it gives you any trouble…’

‘Don’t worry, I’m sure someone on the internet can tell me how to conduct an exorcism.’

Grace laughed as she watched houses beginning to appear along the road. They were coming into Ockton now, and she sobered straight away as she saw the church spire ahead. A short time later, the car slowed to a stop, and Grace’s mother walked across and opened the door for her.

‘We’ll go and park,’ she said, getting in after Grace had climbed out. ‘We’ll leave you alone for a little while. I bought these.’ She handed Grace four roses, each with a sprig of rosemary bound to its stem. ‘They’re for love and remembrance.’

Grace felt tears well up. ‘Thanks Mum.’

‘Do you want to take Millie with you?’

‘No, can you watch her for a second?’

‘Of course. We’ll walk back and meet you outside the gate.’

Grace set off down the churchyard path, and picked her way across the grass until she reached three headstones. The grass was damp but she knelt anyway, leaving two flowers and sprigs at the foot of one stone. For Connie and Bill. Then she moved to the next one and placed another flower in front of it. For Rachel. As she turned to the final grave, she laid the last red rose on top of it. She put her hand on the cool stone and closed her eyes, conjuring up Adam’s smiling face.

A gentle breeze blew from behind her, caressing the back of her neck. She felt the light press of a hand on her shoulder and spun round, opening her eyes, expecting to see her parents there. But all she saw was a weak yellow sun, beyond the small clouds that freckled the palest of blue skies.

1. The past is still too close to us… How does the past infiltrate and affect the present in Beneath the Shadows ?

2. Grace is driven by her need for resolution: did you see this as an obstacle or a necessity for her?

3. Ghosts, omens, clocks that stop and start by themselves – is there a supernatural element in Roseby, or was it all just a figment of Grace’s imagination?

4. Windows and reflections are strong symbols in the novel. How do you interpret their significance?

5. Not only is Grace reading Rebecca , but throughout the book the classic novel is alluded to in other ways too. Consider these parallels, and what they contribute to the story.

6. By the end, the mystery of Adam’s disappearance is resolved. Yet Adam didn’t tell Grace where he’d put their money, about his relationship with Jenny, or of the existence of the cellar. How much do you think the reader gets to know the ‘real’ Adam?

7. How did you interpret Grace’s strange dreams? Were they warnings, her subconscious trying to process her fears, or something else?

8. How important is Annabel to the story? What role does she play?

9. Is Meredith a villain or a victim?

10. By going through their belongings and their memories, Grace seems to be trying to understand who Adam’s grandparents were. How far can she succeed, do you think? And why is this so important to her?

This book would not exist had I not been introduced to the wonderful North Yorkshire moors by my husband Matt and his family. Thank you to all of you for your steady support over the long writing process, in particular to Jo and Steve for letting me quiz you and for all the research you have done on my behalf. And thank you James and Dan for your creativity and cinematic know-how. I must also add that I have met many locals over the years I have visited the area, and all of them have been far friendlier than some of the people portrayed in this book – so I hope they will forgive me my artistic licence! Thanks also to Big Jon and Caroline Foster, Neil Raynsford and Fiona Thorp for answering police-procedural questions, and to Rosemary Johns for the legal input.