Topaz summer

CATHY grunted as she struggled to open a jar of marmalade. Standing tall and athletic, amidst boxes piled high on the scarred wooden table in her new farmhouse kitchen, she inhaled the scents of woods

MARCIA watched her grandson Matthew carefully as they toured the sumptuous interior of Moitlet Hall. To the other visitors, it no doubt seemed he was in awe of the opulent furnishings, wonderful artwo

IT was no fun being dead – particularly when you had a cramp in your leg. Gemma raised her head from the dusty floor, looking for Tarquin. “Do I really have to stay here until the end of the act?” she

THAT summer, for the first time, Gabriella had invested in a season membership of the Lido Club and it had been worth every cent. Not only had it given her access to one of the fenced-off sections of

ANOTHER look at the dashboard clock: 21.06. The plane’s due to leave in under two hours. With the turn-off for the airport within sight, I ease on to the accelerator, suppressing a groan as the cars i

RUNNER-UP