Kathleen McGurl - The Forgotten Gift

Kathleen McGurllives near the sea in Bournemouth, UK, with her husband. She has two sons who are now grown-up and have left home. She began her writing career creating short stories, and sold dozens to women’s magazines in the UK and Australia. Then she got side-tracked onto family history research – which led eventually to writing novels with genealogy themes. She has always been fascinated by the past, and the ways in which the past can influence the present, and enjoys exploring these links in her novels.

After a thirty-one-year career in the IT industry she is now a full-time author, and very much enjoying the change of lifestyle. When not writing she likes to go out running. She also adores mountains and is never happier than when striding across the Lake District fells, following a route from a Wainwright guidebook.

You can find out more at her website: http://kathleenmcgurl.com/, or follow her on Twitter: @KathMcGurl.

‘A MUST READ in my book!!’

‘Utterly perfect … A timeslip tale that leaves you wanting more … I loved it’

‘I may have shed a tear or two! … A definite emotional rollercoaster of a read that will make you both cry and smile’

‘Oh my goodness … The pages turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out what happened steadily grew and grew’

‘Very special … I loved every minute of it’

‘Brilliant … Very highly recommended!!’

‘Touched my heart! A real page turner … The perfect read for cosying up. I can’t recommend this gorgeous book enough’

The Secret of the Château

The Stationmaster’s Daughter

The Forgotten Secret

The Drowned Village

The Girl from Ballymor

The Daughters of Red Hill Hall

The Pearl Locket

The Emerald Comb

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2020

Copyright © Kathleen McGurl

Kathleen McGurl 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.

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, downloaded, 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-book Edition © November 2020 ISBN: 9780008380496

Version: 2020-08-28

Table of Contents

Cover

About the Author

Praise for Kathleen McGurl

Also by Kathleen McGurl

Title Page The Forgotten Gift KATHLEEN MCGURL

Copyright HQ An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2020 Copyright © Kathleen McGurl Kathleen McGurl 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. 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, downloaded, 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-book Edition © November 2020 ISBN: 9780008380496 Version: 2020-08-28

Dedication For my son Fionn, who always smiles when I send him a rough draft of each novel to read and comment on. Keep up the good work!

Prologue: George Britten, 1874

Chapter 1: Cassie, present day

Chapter 2: George, 1861

Chapter 3: Cassie

Chapter 4: George

Chapter 5: Cassie

Chapter 6: George

Chapter 7: Cassie