Toby felt an unfamiliar exultation when Jake gently brushed her cheek with his fingers, summoning forth a sensation of warmth and womanliness she'd never thought herself capable of feeling. — Her innocence of heart and spirit was a revelation to Jake, who'd never loved a woman as he loved Toby -- a fragile lady with secrets she couldn't share. What began as a special friendship blossomed into a sweetly mature love, but could Jake's tender caresses give Toby the courage to face the demons that haunted her dreams?

    But one person’s happiness is the next person’s boredom.Alice’s family, friends and parents all fought their own personal battle to keep the tedium of life at bay – some more successfully than others. Dick and his gardening, Marjorie and her Latin, Mary and her faith, Nicholas and his painting, Mr Hadley and his whiskey…People grow old, babies are born, vegetables are planted and harvested, and life goes on.But as Alice lies on her death bed, an awful thought suddenly grips her. Is she dying of boredom?