Ursula's story

the long version

Ursula's story opens on the day of her ex-husband William's wedding. Her three children cannot restrain their excitement. After all, it isn't every day that their father marries a government minister, and the Prime Minister is to be among the guests. Ursula, herself embarked on a shaky new relationship with Julian, a local antiquarian bookseller, sees how hard 11-year-old daughter Jessie has taken the breakup. Her father's favourite, she has turned to Julian for support. But Julian himself is hard to read, his absences from their lives ever more prolonged and unexplained. Are Jessie's defences strong enough to protect her, when a threat to her life catches Ursula completely off-guard?