The Other Wife: A sweeping historical romantic drama tinged with obsession and suspense

JULIET BELL is the collaborative pen name of respected authors Janet Gover and Alison May.

Juliet was born at a writers’ conference, with a chance remark about heroes who are far from heroic. She was raised on pizza and wine during many long working lunches, and finished her first novel over cloud storage and skype in 2017.

Juliet shares Janet and Alison’s preoccupation with misunderstood classic fiction, and stories that explore the darker side of relationships.

Alison also writes commercial women’s fiction and romantic comedies and can be found at www.alison-may.co.uk

Janet writes contemporary romantic adventures mostly set in outback Australia and can be found at www.janetgover.com

Outback Australia, 1981

After a terrible childhood, Jane comes to Thornfield as nanny to the adorable Adele, watched over by the handsome and enigmatic Edward. Plain and inexperienced, Jane would never dream of being more than his hired help. But swept up in the dramatic beauty of the Outback, she finds herself drawn to Edward. And, to her surprise, he seems to return her feelings.

But Jane is not the first woman Edward has pledged to make mistress of Thornfield.

As a child, Betty was taken from her English home and sent for adoption in Australia. At first, no-one wanted her, deeming her hair too curly, and her skin too dark. Until the scheming Mr Mason sees a chance to use Betty to cement a relationship with the rich and powerful Rochester dynasty…

When Jane discovers Betty’s fate, will she still want to be the next Mrs Rochester?

Readers LOVE Juliet Bell:

‘I want to buy a copy for every book lover I know!’

‘A fantastically absorbing read’

‘It is gripping and dark and an absolute triumph!!’

‘Brilliantly done. Can’t wait for the next book!’

‘I would thoroughly recommend this book and have no hesitation in awarding it the richly deserved 5 stars.’

‘Edgy and compelling update of a classic’

Also by Juliet Bell

The Heights

The Other Wife

JULIET BELL

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018

Copyright © Juliet Bell 2018

Juliet Bell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © November 2018 ISBN: 9780008284503

Version: 2018-10-26

Table of Contents

Cover

About the Author

Outback Australia, 1981

Readers Love Juliet Bell:

Also by Juliet Bell

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

According to Legend…

Part One

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

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Part Two

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Part Three

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Acknowledgements

Keep Reading …

Dear Reader

About the Publisher

To Charlotte

According to legend…

The land was empty until the great snake came. He roamed over all the land and, when he slept, deep pools of water formed and flowed into the channels left by his passing. These became the river. As the snake moved from waterhole to waterhole, rainbows formed in the sky.

The lightning man, who the first people would call Namarrgon, came after the serpent. When he was angry, he hurled his spears of light into the ground and woke the fire.

Thousands of years ago, when the first people came to the land, they used the fire. In small groups they moved across the plains, hunting their food and gathering around fires at night to sing and dance, and tell stories of the Dreaming. Sometimes the fire escaped. The trees and the grass burned, and the animals burned. But always the land survived and the first people trusted that the Rainbow Serpent would bring the water back. The plants would grow again. The animals would return and the first men would follow them.

Everything changed when the white men came.

They had tamed the fire. They brought it in guns and trapped it inside the houses that they built, houses that got bigger and stronger as the years passed. They brought new animals too and claimed the land for them. The native animals were driven away by these strange big beasts, just as the first men were driven away by the white men.

In the middle of this plain, a white man built a great stone house. Around that house, there were small buildings and yards for the animals, and, down by the river, the first men had their camp. Sometimes the first men talked of taking back the land that had been theirs. Until then, they worked that land for the white man and for his sons and their sons.

Now the land is dotted with fire. At night, the light gleams from the windows of the white man’s big house and figures can be seen moving. There are lights in the other buildings where the white men work and eat and sleep. And small fires still burn where the first men sit by the river and tell their tales.

But, tonight the fire has escaped and it has taken the big stone house in the middle of the plain. The first men and the white men will try to capture it again. But when the fire is set free, it burns until there is nothing left at all.

Chapter 1

Sydney, Australia. 1966

Jane

I was scared. This was my first time in Sydney. My first time in any big city. It was also my first time away from the place where my mother and I had lived since I was a baby. Even looking out of the window of the car was overwhelming – the size of the buildings, the number of cars, the rush and hurry all around me. I sank back into my seat until the car finally stopped and I couldn’t hide any longer.

‘Come on now, child.’ The woman sitting next to me poked me none too gently in the ribs. ‘Get out of the car.’

My new home was a huge mountain of red brick. I strained my neck, trying to see how very high it really went. It seemed to reach up almost to the clouds. I desperately wanted to go home. To my friends. To my mother. To the way things were before the police came.

I stared up at the building again. It was truly huge. I would get lost inside it, just as I was lost in this city. The buildings that towered over me seemed to lean in on each other, and there was nothing green. No trees, not even a blade of grass. I hoped I wouldn’t have to stay here long. Mum must be coming back soon to take me home to the place with the space and the grass and all the people I knew.

The woman took my two small bags from the back of the car. I didn’t own many things. At home everything was shared, so I didn’t need my own things. The woman in the car had told me there were other children in this house. My cousins. Maybe I would share with them now.

When we got to the big front door, I pushed it. It didn’t open. I tried to pull it, but that didn’t work either. The door stayed shut. Puzzled, I looked up at the woman. She rolled her eyes as she reached out to press a button in the wall.

‘Yes?’ The voice was loud and harsh.

‘Child Welfare.’

For a long time there was no answer. ‘All right.’

I jumped as a loud buzz and a thunk sounded from the door in front of me.

‘Well, don’t just stand there. Open the door.’

‘But…’

‘Open it.’

I pushed the door hard, and this time it moved.

It was dark inside after the bright sunlight in the street. There was a big staircase made of wood that seemed to go forever.

The woman carrying my bags went and stood in front of another door. There were more strange sounds, and that door slid open, revealing a very small room.

‘Come on, Jane.’ She was starting to sound impatient.

I followed her into the box. I didn’t mind small places. That was why I almost always won when we played hide and seek. I was little and could fit into the tiniest places. The door slid shut all on its own. I almost screamed when I felt the little room start to move.

‘Oh, for goodness’ sake,’ the woman said. ‘It’s only a lift. Your aunt is on the top storey. Far too many floors to use the stairs, especially in this heat.’

Mum had told me to be brave, so I tried to pretend I wasn’t frightened as the lift went up and up and up.

When the lift stopped moving, the doors opened again and I jumped out quickly, in case it fell back down to the ground. There was only one other door that I could see. The woman nodded and I tried to open it.

She sighed, before rapping forcefully on the door with her knuckles.

It was opened by a big woman. She had short brown hair and dark eyes. Her dress was grey, with no colours or pattern. Everything about her was so very different to my mum, with her long blonde hair and her pretty clothes and big light skirts that swayed as she walked and ran. The woman peered down at me for a second without smiling. Then she stepped back. ‘You’d better come in.’

The room was so pretty that, for a minute, I almost forgot to be scared. There were bright swirling patterns on the walls and a deep carpet that made me want to take my shoes off and let my toes curl into the softness. Everything in the room was new and shiny and clean. There were lace curtains around a big window, and I could see the sky. I felt a bit better then. I had been afraid that in this big brick house, I wouldn’t be able to see the sky. There were coloured shiny things on a shelf. I stood on my tiptoes to reach them.

‘Jane. Don’t touch that. Come back here!’ The big woman’s voice was loud and screechy. Had I done something wrong?

She looked me up and down. ‘I am your Aunt … I’m Mrs Reed. You’re going to be staying here with us, Jane.’

I nodded, but I didn’t say anything.

Mrs Reed stared at me, apparently expecting something more. She turned to the woman who had brought me here. ‘Is there something wrong with her?’

‘I’m sure she’s just nervous,’ the woman said. ‘I’m sure she’s a very bright child, really.’

‘We’ll see about that. Jane, take your bags to your room. It’s down that corridor. The last door on the right. You do know right from left, don’t you?’

I nodded.

The last door led to a little room, with a bed and some drawers. I put my bags on the bed. It was a pretty room. The bedclothes were pale pink, and felt soft under my fingers.

‘That’s my old stuff.’

I turned around to see two big children standing in the doorway. The girl was a bit older than me and had dark hair and a little button nose. The boy was even older. These must be the cousins I’d been told about.

‘Thank you for sharing your things with me.’

‘I’m not sharing anything with you,’ the girl said. ‘Mum said you could have my old stuff, but don’t ever touch anything of mine. Ever.’

‘Or mine,’ her brother said quietly. ‘We didn’t ask you here. We don’t want you here. We hate you.’

I wanted to cry. But I didn’t. I wanted Mum to be proud of me for being brave.

‘I didn’t want to come here either,’ I said.

‘Don’t you talk to me like that!’ His face went pink with anger.

I took a deep breath. ‘Mum says everybody should share everything. It’s mean if you don’t.’

He parroted my words back at me in silly sing-song voice. ‘Everybody should share everything.’

His sister laughed.

The boy continued. ‘You’re not on that hippy farm anymore. Things are different here. This is a proper family, not your druggie commune. You’ll have to behave yourself now.’

I didn’t know what he meant, but I was suddenly very, very frightened. ‘But I’m going back there? Soon?’

‘Don’t be silly.’ Mrs Reed appeared in the doorway. ‘The police have shut the whole place down. Thank goodness. The things that were going on there. Drugs. Free love. God knows where my sister is by now. And with who. She’s not fit to look after a child.’ Her lips pursed. ‘She probably doesn’t even know who your father is.’

‘She wouldn’t go anywhere without me!’ Mum had always been there. Other people had come and gone but Mum had never left me. Never.

The woman who had come with me in the car was standing behind Mrs Reed, her bag over her shoulder. ‘Jane, we explained this. Your mother isn’t allowed to look after you anymore. The police have closed the commune down. Some people have gone to jail.’

I shook my head. Nobody had explained anything. ‘But…’

The woman had already turned away. Mrs Reed followed her along the corridor and a second later I heard the door open and slam shut.

Mrs Reed marched back into the room.

I jumped up. I was desperate. Nobody had said anything about Mum going away. ‘Mum wouldn’t leave me. You have to find out what happened to her.’

‘Enough.’ Mrs Reed folded her arms. ‘You’re my niece, so I won’t have people saying I turned you away, however glad I might be to be rid of you, but in my house you live by my rules. And the first rule is this – you do not ever mention my slut of a sister again.’

‘But she’s going to come and get me…’

‘No. Understand this, Jane Eyre. Your mother will never set foot in this house, and you will never see her again.’

Chapter 2

York, England. 1966

Betty

Betty ran out of Mrs Oakley’s house at a quarter past five like always, but it wasn’t Mummy standing waiting for her. Instead her father bent down to talk to her as she came towards him. ‘Hello, little firefly. I’m picking you up today because Mummy’s had to go away for a little while.’

Betty frowned. Mummy always picked her up. She said it was easier that way because Daddy had to work and sometimes people got funny when he came out with them. The front door to Mrs Oakley’s neat little house was still open, while the childminder watched her charges go on their way. ‘Mr Earl?’

He turned towards the voice. ‘Mrs O. What can I do for you?’

‘Is Pam not well?’

‘No. No. She had to go away for a bit.’ He lowered his voice. ‘For her nerves.’

‘Right.’ Mrs Oakley looked away somewhere over Betty’s father’s shoulder, not at his face. ‘Well, I’ll be happy to have the bairn back once her mum’s all better and can drop her round.’

Betty felt her daddy’s hand rest on the top of her head. His voice was quieter than usual. ‘It’s all right. I’m working on the production line at the moment. Regular shifts, so I can bring her before work.’

Mrs Oakley glanced from side to side at the neat little houses that butted up against hers, and the other parents who were picking up their children. They chatted to each other, but none of them spoke to Betty’s father. They didn’t even look at him.

‘I don’t think so. It’s not really…’ She stepped back into the hallway. ‘Not really right for you in this area.’

Betty’s father’s voice raised now. ‘But she’s my daughter.’

‘Well, yes, but…’ Mrs Oakley peered around the door at Betty. ‘You’d not really know, would you? She takes from her mother.’

The door swung closed with a definite thud. Betty’s father stood very still for a moment. The net curtain at the window of the house next to Mrs Oakley’s twitched slightly. Daddy took her hand. ‘Come on, Betty girl. We’ll get a fish supper and listen to records. Shall we?’

Betty nodded. She didn’t like fish, but, when Mummy wasn’t there, Daddy let her pull the crispy batter off with her fingers and just eat that dipped in the bright green mushy peas. She leant against Daddy’s hip while they waited in the chip queue. ‘Will Mummy be coming back soon?’

‘I hope so, little firefly. I hope so.’ He clapped his hands together. ‘And until then we’ll need to find someone to keep an eye on you while I’m at work.’

‘Good. I don’t like it at Mrs Oakley’s. Sometimes they look at me strangely.’

She felt her father tense for a second, then he stroked her crisp red-brown curls. ‘That’s only because they don’t understand that you are special, my bright little firefly.’

Betty leant more closely into his body.

‘It’ll be all right. We’ll work something out,’ he said.

The next morning, Betty clung to her father’s hand outside a big red-brick house that she thought she sort of recognised.

‘Do you remember coming here, little firefly?’

Betty shook her head.

‘This is your grandpa and grandma’s house.’

She followed her father up the driveway and stood half behind his legs while he rang the bell.

The door was opened by a tall man with thick black-framed glasses and a big moustache.

‘Mr Thompson…’ Daddy started.

‘What are you doing here?’

‘I … Can we come in?’

The man shook his head. ‘I’ll not have you upsetting Pam’s mother.’

‘Right. Well, it’s Pam. She’s in the hospital. The Retreat.’

The man folded his arms.

‘And Betty…’ Betty felt her father step to one side so the man could see her properly. ‘I’ve no-one to watch her while I’m at work and so…’

‘And so you thought you’d turn up here like nothing had happened.’

‘No. I …’

‘We were quite clear when Pamela made her decision. We’re happy to take her back and we’ll look after the girl. You can leave her here right now and go off and get on with your life.’

Betty’s father reached down and took hold of her hand. ‘I won’t abandon my child. If you could just take care of her for a few hours.’

The man on the doorstep calmly shook his head. ‘We’ll take her and we’ll raise her properly. But we will not have you coming to this house. Make your choice.’

Betty glanced up at her father. His face was creased with emotions that she didn’t understand. He knelt down next to her. ‘Would you like to stay here, Betty?’

‘’Til you come back?’

Her daddy screwed his eyes shut for a second like Betty did sometimes when she was trying not to cry. When he opened them again, he reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. ‘Don’t worry, little firefly. It was a silly idea. Daddy won’t leave you anywhere…’

Betty didn’t hear the rest of his sentence. Her own wail drowned it out. Even the idea of him leaving her was too much to hold inside her head. Mummy had to go away, but Daddy was still here. She flung herself against his body, throwing her arms around his neck. His hands wrapped straight around her, lifting her up as he stood. ‘Well, that’s settled, then.’

She buried her face in his neck.

‘We’ll be going.’

She let him carry her back down the driveway and into the street. Eventually he put her down next to a shiny red telephone box. ‘I just need to telephone the office at work, and then we’ll go to the park. Feed the ducks.’