Look Forward / Second Time Around

by Marcia Willett

Looking Forward
When Felicia, Sam and Susanna's parents and older brother are killed in Kenya, the three children are sent to their grandmother Frederica "Freddy" Chadwick in Devon.

Freddy has experienced a lot of sadness and pain in her life, and she would be helpless without her two devoted servants, Ellen and Fox, who also help and support her in this difficult time. Freddy's brother-in-law, Theo, a minister, is also ready to help, while her three grandchildren try to find a way out of the grief to move forward in life.


Second Time Around
When Mathilda Rainbird bequeaths her beautiful house in a Devonshire cove to three unknown relatives, she brings together a group of people who all secretly yearn for a sense of belonging. Tessa, a delightful twenty-two-year-old, still misses her dead parents and brother but has learned that it is better to be alone than to be with the wrong people. Will, a retired widow, is by nature a positive man. Enchanted by Mathilda's house and drawn to Isobel, Mathilda's housekeeper who still lives in the cove, he sees life taking an exciting turn. Beatrice, a retired prep-school matron, thinks the idea of living with her cousins is preposterous. But a magical Christmas spent in the cove soon wins her over. As they muck in together it is as though they have known each other all their lives. Isobel, who still grieves for her dear friend, recognises Mathilda in each one of them as she is warmly accepted as part of this delightful and truly extraordinary family.

786 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Marcia Willett began her career as a novelist when she was fifty years old. Since that first novel Marcia has written twenty more under her own name as well as a number of short stories. She has also written four books under the pseudonym "Willa Marsh", and is published in more than sixteen countries.
Marcia Willett's early life was devoted to the ballet, but her dreams of becoming a ballerina ended when she grew out of the classical proportions required. She had always loved books, and a family crisis made her take up a new career as a novelist - a decision she had never regretted.