Evangeline

By Serena Redgrave and Tatiana Allegra

The Hemmings were once the closest and happiest of families whose children all had very bright and successful futures ahead of them. But then tragedy strikes: their daughter Elena went out last night to celebrate her twenty-first birthday and never came home.

When Elena’s body is found the next day severely beaten and raped and barely even alive, the Hemmings think that their lives can’t possibly get any worse.
But they’re wrong. The nightmare has only just begun.

As Elena’s comatose condition tragically deteriorates, the Hemmings lose all hope of ever getting their beloved daughter and sister back. Then just when they make the heart-breaking decision to finally switch off her life support machine, they’re given news which will change their lives forever and tear their family apart in ways that they never could have imagined...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Serena Redgrave
• Release date: Oct 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005523718

Book preview

Evangeline

Serena Redgrave & Tatiana Allegra

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2021 by Serena Redgrave and Tatiana Allegra

Smashwords Edition

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Cover images and cover design by Tatiana Allegra

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to your favourite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

Other titles by Serena Redgrave & Tatiana Allegra:

Dystopia

Coming soon from Serena Redgrave:

The Women That Cupid Forgot Book 1: His Name was Joshua

The Saviour Book 1: The Ghost Ship

The Faerien Knights Book 1: The Knight of My Life

Coming soon from Tatiana Allegra:

A Life of Broken Dreams

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Epilogue

Prologue

Saturday 20th June.

Cassandra and Henry Hemmings both looked up from washing and wiping the dishes as their daughter Elena re-entered the kitchen.

Looking at her now, all dressed up and ready to go in a fuchsia halterneck skater dress and matching shoes with the big pink leather butterfly-print handbag that they had given her for her birthday this year, they found it hard to believe that this time twenty-one years ago she had been a tiny baby who was no bigger than a loaf of bread!

Their little girl was all grown up. Where had the time gone?

Bright, bubbly and every bit as beautiful as Helen of Troy, who they had named her after, Elena hurried over to them at the sink with a beaming smile.

Thank you for cooking me such a wonderful birthday dinner! she told her mum happily as she hugged her goodbye, her voice as dulcet as an angel’s.

You’re welcome, sweetie, Cassandra replied, hugging her daughter back. Don’t forget to call us if you need to be picked up from the station on your way home.

I will, Elena assured her as they finally released each other. Sorry to leave you with all the washing up! Are you sure you don’t want me to stay a little while longer and help you?

No, it’s okay. You go and have fun, Cassandra told her with a smile, waving her off.

Okay, I’ll try! Elena joked with a chuckle, and then she went over to give her dad an equally big hug goodbye. See you later, Daddy.

Take care, kiddo! Henry told her cheerfully, hugging his daughter back. Enjoy your big night out. You’re only twenty-one once!

I will! Elena said with a laugh as they released each other, then she made her way back across the kitchen to the door.

At the doorway she twirled merrily around, her long sandy blonde hair swinging behind her, and called to them both, Love you!

Love you too! Cassandra and Henry both called back.

With that Elena twirled joyfully back around and stepped through the doorway, disappearing from view, and they both resumed doing the dishes.

As she made her cheerful way along the hallway to the living room, Elena’s smile widened with amusement when she heard the elated shouts of her fiancé and her older brother, Declan and Victor, who were both sitting in there watching the World Cup.

England had only scored a goal, but they sounded so ecstatic about it that it was as if they had already won the World Cup!

The moment she entered the living room, she burst out laughing at the hilarious sight of her brother’s fiancée, Amy, sitting bored to death on the sofa between the two extremely animated guys.

At the sweet sound of her laughter Declan tore his riveted gaze away from the TV screen to glance over in her direction…

His eyes widened at the lovely sight that she made standing there in the living room doorway and he shot to his feet. "Wow! You look hot!"

Thanks, Elena replied shyly, blushing. With a laugh, she joked, How about poor Amy and I go meet the others and you two can stay here watching the football!

At that Amy laughed, but Victor was focusing so intently on the TV screen that he hadn’t even heard any of them.

Not a chance! Declan retorted with a grin as he moved over to his fiancée’s side, the football match completely forgotten.

When Amy left the sofa to join them over by the doorway, only then did Victor reluctantly tear his gaze away from the match.

Upon seeing that Elena and Declan were about to leave to go meet their friends at a nightclub in London for her twenty-first birthday celebration, he finally got to his feet to join them as well.

Have fun tonight, Sis, Victor told his little sister as they gave each other a big hug goodbye.

I will, Elena replied.

Don’t drink too much! he added with a grin.

Ha ha! Very funny! Elena said with a chuckle as they finally released each other, knowing that her big brother was only joking because everyone who knew her knew that she didn’t drink.

Lastly, Elena gave her future sister-in-law an equally big hug goodbye. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do while we’re away! she joked.

Ha ha, very funny! Amy retorted with a laugh, hugging her future sister-in-law back.

Once Elena and Amy had finally released each other, Declan slid an arm around Elena’s slender waist.

Ready? he asked her.

Ready, she confirmed with a nod, smiling, as she slid an arm around her fiancé’s waist in return.

Now that she had finally finished saying goodbye to everyone, together Elena and Declan both turned and exited the living room and then made their way along the rest of the hallway to the front door to leave. Meanwhile, Victor and Amy both returned to the living room sofa so that he could resume watching the World Cup and she could continue pretending to.

As Declan opened the front door, they heard Cassandra suddenly call out in reminder, Don’t forget to call us if you need picking up!

With a smile Elena looked over her shoulder and when she saw her mother standing there in the kitchen doorway all the way at the other end of the hallway, she called cheerily back to her assuring her, I will!

She lovingly blew her mother a kiss goodbye, and then together she and Declan both stepped through the front doorway into the late evening summer sunshine and left.

That was the last time that any of them saw Elena Hemmings alive…

Chapter 1

Sunday 21st June.

From the moment Cassandra awoke the next morning, she found herself overcome with a bad feeling.

She couldn’t explain it and she couldn’t describe it, but she could feel it in the pit of her stomach that something was terribly wrong– that something horrible either had happened or was about to happen, maybe both. It was the same bad feeling that had been plaguing her all evening until she’d finally fallen asleep last night, only now it was much, much worse. The overwhelming sense of uneasiness was affecting her so strongly and so powerfully that she felt as if she was on the verge of throwing up.

She sat up and then looked through the semi-darkness over at her husband to see that Henry was still fast asleep and snoring softly on the other side of their bed, completely unaffected by whatever was causing her such disquiet.

Knowing that she wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep and not wanting to just lie there suffering in silence, with a sigh she slipped quietly out of bed.

* * *

A little while later Cassandra was sitting at their round wooden kitchen table in her jade dressing gown and matching slippers staring blankly at the room’s cheery yellow walls as she sipped her cup of tea, her shoulder-length blonde hair tied in a ponytail.

With her uneasiness still as strong as ever she didn’t seem to have much of an appetite this morning and since the great queasiness that it was causing meant that she was likely to just throw up if she tried to eat anything, she hadn’t bothered to make herself any breakfast–

When she suddenly heard someone approaching from the hallway outside, she looked up and watched as Amy stepped through the kitchen doorway and came inside to join her. Having clearly just gotten out of bed, the twenty-three-year-old was still dressed in her Tatty Teddy-print white vest, pyjama bottoms and fluffy slippers, her long copper curls slightly tousled and her hazel eyes a little drowsy.

Are you alright? Amy asked her future mother-in-law with concern as she passed the kitchen table on her way to the glittery white marble countertop of the unit nearby. You look worried about something, she said with a yawn as she stood there pouring herself a cup of coffee. What’s wrong?

Nothing’s wrong, Cassandra assured her future daughter-in-law with a small smile. I’ve just got this strange bad feeling that I can’t seem to shake.

About what? Amy asked her with another yawn as she carried her cup of coffee over to the table and sat herself down across from her.

I have no idea, Cassandra replied with a sigh. It’s probably nothing… Do you have any idea what time Elena got back last night? she asked her curiously, knowing that Victor and Amy had been the last ones to go to bed.

After Cassandra and Henry had finished doing the dishes last night they had joined the young couple in the living room to watch the rest of the football match, then once the game had finally finished they had all watched one of the films from their vast DVD collection. It had been quite late by the time the film had ended so she and her husband had both gone upstairs to bed, but Victor and Amy had both stayed downstairs watching TV.

I have no idea, Amy answered her sheepishly, her fair, faintly-freckled cheeks flushing almost as red as her hair. It was after midnight when Victor and I finally went upstairs but Elena still hadn’t come home yet, and once we were in our bedroom we wouldn’t have been able to hear her return anyway… Did she definitely come home last night? Is she up in her room?

I didn’t want to wake her if she was still asleep, so I didn’t check, Cassandra replied with a sigh. I’ll have a look after breakfast–

They both looked up as Henry and Victor entered the kitchen still looking half asleep.

It always amused Cassandra to see her husband and their son together like this– the two men both like mirror images of each other but thirty years apart with the same wavy longish brown hair and hazel eyes, and even wearing similar red dressing gowns and tartan slippers. At twenty-three years old, Victor was a couple of inches taller than his father, Henry, who was in his mid-fifties and had a few grey hairs and wrinkles.

Victor and Henry both came over to the kitchen table and each gave their wife and their fiancée a kiss on the forehead before going over to the unit and making themselves a cup of coffee.

Did either of you see Elena upstairs? Cassandra asked the men curiously as they carried their cups of coffee over to the table and each took a seat beside their wife and their fiancée. Amy and I are just trying to work out whether she came home last night and at what time.

Nope, Victor answered his mum with a yawn. I didn’t run into her anywhere.

Her bedroom door was still closed when I passed it on my way downstairs, Henry answered his wife tiredly, so I figured she was still fast asleep in there since she must have come home really late last night.

I’ll go and check on her after breakfast, Cassandra decided. She rose from her seat and then asked her family of sleepyheads with a smile, What does everyone want to eat?

* * *

Elena? Cassandra called softly a little while later, and then she knocked lightly on her daughter’s lilac bedroom door…

But there was no answer.

Not wanting to wake Elena if she was indeed still fast asleep in her bed beyond, Cassandra gently turned the chrome door handle and then quietly pushed her daughter’s bedroom door open–

Only to see that Elena’s lilac bedroom was completely empty.

The room looked exactly as it had yesterday evening after Elena had left with Declan, and her bed was so neatly made that it clearly hadn’t been slept in at all last night.

Having seen all that she’d needed to, Cassandra closed the door again and then made her way back downstairs to rejoin the others in the kitchen and tell them what she’d found.

No one had seen or heard Elena come home last night, she wasn’t anywhere in the house and she couldn’t have slipped out this morning without any of them knowing, so clearly she hadn’t yet returned.

Elena isn’t upstairs in her room, she reported as she re-entered the kitchen and made her way over to stand beside the table. It doesn’t look like she came home last night.

She probably just went back with Declan to his dorm, Victor said with a grin from where he stood by the sink wiping the dishes. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Although she obviously never talked about it with any of them, they all knew that Elena and Declan were sleeping together, and she often went home with him to his dorm after a date or a night out.

Or she just stayed over at a friend’s house who lives near the nightclub, Amy quickly added with an extremely nervous smile from where she sat at the table after having finished washing all of the dishes.

I know, Cassandra assured them both with a smirk. "But she usually would have called or texted one of us by now to let us know where she is and when she’ll be back. She obviously hasn’t phoned home and I haven’t heard from her. Anyone else?"

Around the room Victor, Amy and Henry all shook their heads no.

Wherever she is, Elena probably hasn’t contacted any of us yet because her birthday celebration ended really late last night and she’s still fast asleep, Henry reasoned from where he stood by the unit putting away the dishes that Victor had finished wiping. She’ll probably get in touch around midday.

Unless Declan is still keeping her busy, Victor added with a cheeky smile and a wink over at Amy.

At that Amy