Cornwall CALLING
THE STORY SO FAR: The night before her wedding to a man she didn’t love, Ava fled to Hydrangeas, her family’s holiday cottage on the Cornish coast. The sea breezes and sunsets work their magic on her troubles, and inspire her to open a community play centre in her garden for the children of Whitewaves Bay. With hard work and the help of a team of builders, as well as Jade, a local surfing star, the project is a huge success. Ava is regaining her confidence and falling back in love with life, but she has deep concerns about her sister Sophie, whose controlling husband Simon tried to engineer her own ill-fated engagement. Ava confides in wise owl Auntie Beth and, together, they concoct a plan they hope will set Sophie free.
After six rings, Sophie finally picked up the phone. ‘Auntie Beth!’ she said. ‘What a lovely surprise!’
Knowing how Simon monitored his wife’s calls, hoping to find out the whereabouts of the ‘runaway bride’, Ava could imagine him sloping away, uninterested in a call from their lovely aunt. That was the genius of this ploy.
‘Darling Sophie,’ Auntie Beth said warmly, ‘it’s been far too long since I’ve seen you and I absolutely insist you come to stay with me in Devon.’ She lowered her voice conspiratorially. ‘I trust that husband of yours isn’t earwigging? Ava has filled me in.’
Sophie giggled. ‘No, I’ve just
