Sophie Draper - Magpie

Published by AVON

A Division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2019

Copyright © Sophie Draper 2019

Cover design by Lisa Horton © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2019

Cover photographs © Stephen Mulcahey/Trevillion Images (house and woman); Silas Manhood/Arcangel Images (fence); Shutterstock.com (sky, magpie, water, grass)

Sophie Draper 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: 9780008311315

Ebook Edition © November 2019 ISBN: 9780008311322

Version: 2019-10-15

For my boys.

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret,

Never to be told.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Epigraph

Chapter 1: Claire – Before

Chapter 2: Claire – Before

Chapter 3: Duncan – Six Weeks After

Chapter 4: Claire – Before

Chapter 5: Claire – After

Chapter 6: Claire – Before

Chapter 7: Claire – After

Chapter 8: Duncan – After

Chapter 9: Claire – Before

Chapter 10: Claire – Before

Chapter 11: Duncan – After

Chapter 12: Duncan – After

Chapter 13: Claire – Before

Chapter 14: Claire – Before

Chapter 15: Claire – After

Chapter 16: Duncan – After

Chapter 17: Claire – Before

Chapter 18: Claire – Before

Chapter 19: Claire – After

Chapter 20: Duncan – After

Chapter 21: Claire – After

Chapter 22: Duncan – After

Chapter 23: Claire – Before

Chapter 24: Claire – Before

Chapter 25: Claire – After

Chapter 26: Claire – After

Chapter 27: Claire – Before

Chapter 28: Claire – After

Chapter 29: Duncan – After

Chapter 30: Claire – After

Chapter 31: Claire – Before

Chapter 32: Claire – After

Chapter 33: Claire – Before

Chapter 34: Claire – Before

Chapter 35: Claire – After

Chapter 36: Duncan – After

Chapter 37: Claire – Before

Chapter 38: Claire – Before

Chapter 39: Claire – After

Chapter 40: Duncan – After

Chapter 41: Claire – Before

Chapter 42: Claire – After

Chapter 43: Claire – Before

Chapter 44: Claire – Before

Chapter 45: Claire – Before

Chapter 46: Duncan – After

Chapter 47: Claire – After

Chapter 48: Claire – After

Chapter 49: Claire – Before

Chapter 50: Duncan – After

Chapter 51: Claire – Before

Chapter 52: Claire – Before

Chapter 53: Claire – After

Chapter 54: Claire – Before

Chapter 55: Duncan – After

Chapter 56: Claire – Before

Chapter 57: Duncan – After

Chapter 58: Claire – After

Chapter 59: Claire – After

Chapter 60: Claire – After

Chapter 61: Duncan – 22 Years Before

Chapter 62: Duncan – After

Chapter 63: Claire – After

Chapter 64: Claire – After

Chapter 65: Duncan – After

Chapter 66: Duncan – After

Chapter 67: Claire – After

Chapter 68: Duncan – After

Chapter 69: Claire – After

Chapter 70: Claire – After

Chapter 71: Claire – After

Chapter 72: Duncan – After

Chapter 73: Claire – After

Chapter 74: Claire – After

Chapter 75: Duncan – After

Acknowledgements

Keep Reading …

About the Author

By the Same Author

About the Publisher

There’s a dog protesting from one of the cages on the ward. Pain, the animal’s in pain. Its cries cut across my thoughts and I turn away from Duncan’s consulting room, past Sally on reception and through the doors to the back of the building.

Imogen, the animal care assistant, is already there, doing her rounds. Her body is bent as she checks each animal. She reads the clipboards pegged to every cage and tops up food and water.

‘Is it the Great Dane again?’ I ask.

She nods, gesturing to the biggest enclosure. It’s out of sight by the stockroom and I turn the corner. The dog is on its feet, swaying from side to side, one back leg visibly shorter than the other. It lifts its head, jowls wet with saliva, pressing its cheek against the bars. Large brown eyes roll as it recognises a human face and it howls again, a long two-toned cry, setting off another sequence of barks and whimpers in the room.

I unhook the door, dropping to my knees. The Great Dane hobbles cautiously towards me. It easily matches me for height in this position, pushing against my body. I take the animal’s head into my arms.

‘Hey, there, big fella, how’re you doing?’

I shift my feet, holding one hand to the side of the dog’s head, the animal panting. Its eyes are dilated, its tongue hanging out, tasting the very smell of me. The dog tugs away, distrusting even the comfort of my body, yet drawn to me. Its oversized legs are partially splayed, its tail tight and stiff. I run my hands along the underside of its stomach, pausing in the middle before slowly rising up and along the back, approaching one hip. The animal lets out a moan and throws its head like a horse.

‘It’s okay, sweetheart, I know.’

I press with care, eyes watching the dog closely, pressing just enough to determine the exact spot and no more. The dog moans again and I let my hand drop.

‘Imogen.’ I raise my voice. ‘Can you come and help me here a moment?’

‘Coming!’

I hear the clatter of a metal bowl being set on the floor and Imogen appears, slightly out of breath.

‘What is it?’

‘How long has she been like this?’

‘Since I came in this morning.’

I frown. My hand reaches up to turn a page on the clipboard.

‘Has she eaten at all?’ I nod to the full bowl of dried food pellets.

‘She had some of the wet food last night, but none of the dried.’

‘But she’s drinking?’

The water bowl is full too, I note.

‘Claire – I’m not sure …’ Imogen looks at me uncertainly. Then: ‘Yes – I filled it only a few moments ago.’

‘Okay. It’s happened again – she’s dislocated her hip …’

‘Claire!’ It’s Duncan, my husband, striding round the corner.

He stops in front of us, lifting one hand to his smooth round head. He towers over me as I crouch on the floor and glares at me with barely concealed annoyance.