Freddie was destined for a different life, determined to make his fortune in the plantations of Ceylon. But in 1918, just as the Great War comes to an end, Edward, the eldest brother and heir to Coombe Hall, doesn’t return.
Torn between duty and freedom, Freddie must now sacrifice his own dreams to keep the estate – and the future of Coombe – alive.
And now he must now marry for an heir, not for love.
But the turmoil of war didn’t end on the battlefield; the country faces upheavals like never before.
And when an unexpected legacy blows in from Edward’s secret past, Freddie’s grip on the estate – and his future – looks more uncertain than ever
A Time to Live by Vanessa de Haan is published on 31 August, 2023.
Read Vanessa’s account of researching her book, the difficulties she encountered while tracking down the social history of working-class people, and the enormous help local historians provided.
