To find what she has lost, she must go back to the beginning…
1924 The First World War is over and eleven-year-old Alexa is growing up on the idyllic Cornish coast with her best friend Harvey. But she soon discovers there are secrets at the heart of her family that have been hidden for years.
And when her mother dies suddenly, she finds her whole life thrown into turmoil.
1931 Still reeling from the secrets she uncovered, Alexa flees to the intoxicating city of Venice. But her new glamorous life is not what she hoped for and, with dark shadows closing in, she will question everything she thought she wanted…
First published in 2018 as The First Dance
Why did you ask me to marry you when you knew I wanted to leave? Alexa whispered. Why did you make me do that to you?
But Harvey kept walking over the headland towards her, shimmering and blurred by her tears. She picked up her suitcase, ready to leave.
You only did it to make me stay.
Reviews for The Runaway
“You’ll be smitten and not able to put this one away. Loved every minute.”
“A great holiday read for anyone who enjoys historical romance.”
“An enjoyable story. Great for fans of Judith Lennox and Katherine Webb.”
“What stuck with me the most was the plot twist. And the epilogue brought tears to my eyes.”
Between the lines
Discover the inspiration behind The Runaway
Escaping the past
It started in Venice with a painting... While admiring art, marble and Murano glass at the sumptuous Palazzo Mocenigo, a portrait stopped me in my tracks. At first glance, I saw three individual people but, drawing closer, decided it depicted one lady at different stages of her life: girl, woman, grandmother. The portrait (by Domenico Maggiotto, b1713, see gallery above) was fascinating enough until I spotted, right by the girl’s bright innocent face, a fierce demon glaring out of the murky depths. I saw inevitable mortality lurking in the background, but also the reassurance of generations continuing.
Another strand of Alexa’s story evolved when a friend told me that her great-grandmother had had a premonition and refused to board the Titanic. It’s possible that my friend only exists because of that snap decision. With this, and the portrait on my mind, my imagination began to spin. What if when a person refuses to board the ship, someone from their family takes their place?
And where should I set my new story? My mind travelled, as it often does, to Cornwall. I didn’t want to write about the seaside or sunny holidays, but the isolation of the peninsular surrounded by water. I imagined a house perched right on the tip, as far as you can go without falling into the sea, the first and last house in England. This was to be Alexa’s home.
And, of course, Venice. Not for me the obvious splendours of the palazzos, but the backwaters off the beaten track, the darker side to the city, the real Venice. The fabled city becomes Alexa’s promised land, the place where she must go, to discover the mystery that lies at the heart of her family. But what about Harvey, the childhood sweetheart she leaves behind?
Like the three figures in the portrait, The Runaway traces Alexa’s complete life, the idea of inherited knowledge passed down the generations, and Alexa realising that what she needs might be at home all along…
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