While I Was Waiting

By Georgia Hill

'A lovely, romantic and historical read' - Linda's Book Bag

June 1963, Clematis Cottage, Stoke St. Mary, Herefordshire

I am really not sure why I am writing this. A foolish whim by a foolish old lady and it will probably sit in a box unread and decay much like its writer when Death makes his careless decision.

But perhaps someone will find it. Someone will care enough to read and somehow I know that will happen.

April 2000, Clematis Cottage, Stoke St. Mary, Hereford

Tired of her life in London, freelance illustrator Rachel buys the beautiful but dilapidated Clematis Cottage and sets about creating the home of her dreams. But tucked away behind the water tank in the attic and left to gather dust for decades is an old biscuit tin containing letters, postcards and a diary. So much more than old scraps of paper, these are precious memories that tell the story of Henrietta Trenchard-Lewis, the love she lost in the Great War and the girl who was left behind.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0008123268
• ISBN13: 9780008123260
• Release Date: February 2017
• Publisher: One More Chapter
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Romance spanning from 1906..into world war I, then diary continues in 1963

A very decent, gorgeous, well written story, about a young girl, who was left to be raised by her aunts, as her father traveled the world involved in exotic places studying different forms of bugs. Her mother had died while Hattie was very young and doesn't even remember her. Hatty is best friends with two brothers who are also young like her being raised by her aunts also.The brothers are as different as night and day...and over many years..she finds herself very attracted to Richard, the carefree, joke player, always following him and getting in trouble.Verus, Edward the studious one, that reminds her so much, of her father. BUT it is Edward, the few years older brother that everyone says that when Hattie is of age , will marry each other, in an arranged marriage. Many things happen in the relationship with the boys over the many, many year, of their growing up to maturity, mainly the first world war. As time and years edge away, Hattie is living in an adorable cottage, she names "Clematis Cottage" outside of London, in a quaint little village, Hattie has a foolish whim and decides to write about her life story. She is alone, no family at all, just a few friends in town, she just feels its something she HAS to do ...before she leaves this world. But, feeling foolish, at the same time because who in the world would read her story ?? It is now the year 2000, and a young girl Rachel, buys the Clematis Cottage, to get away from London's crazy hetic life, blaring horns, traffic, smog, and old bad relationships. As the cottage is dilapidated in areas, Rachel hires the local Father and Son Handyman team. As the son Gabe is looking over the house, and the walls, and a broken boiler that need to be fixed, with alot of other major work, Gabe finds tucked away wedged behind the old broken boiler, an old rusted biscuit tin. He brings his find down to Rachel, telling her, This belongs to you now, as your the new owner of the house. As he sits and watches Rachel open the old tin, it contains Hattie's old diary, written scattered pages, old pictures and postcards. Rachel is touched by Gabe's interest as Rachel reads the precious memories of Hatties story, a love that was lost in the Great War, and the pieces of her life over the years, and the life of the girl, who is left behind, all by herself. Rachel who is an Artist, and is commissioned to do illustrations of nature, and wild flowers for greeting cards, feels in her heart that she seriously wants to do something with Hattie's Story, as she reads the pages day by day, and gets to know who Hattie is. But first she needs to fill in some missing gaps, and find out who she actually marrys in the end. As the story indicates she was married twice. Rachel takes on this quest of Hattie's life story almost as an obsession and at the same time Her and Gabe start to feel sparks fly between them ! The story is full of History, and Romance, and written with a lightheartedness, you feel a strong connection to all the characters, the quaint village itself. I loved the story and how it is told,full of feeling and truthfully stayed up till 3am finishing the last few chapters ! Thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish !!