Elfrida Phipps loves her new life in the pretty Hampshire village. She has a tiny cottage, her faithful dog Horace and the friendship of the neighbouring Blundells - particularly Oscar - to ensure that her days include companionship as well as independence. But an unforeseen tragedy upsets Elfrida's tranquillity: Oscar's wife and daughter are killed in a terrible car crash and he finds himself homeless when his stepchildren claim their dead mother's inheritance. Oscar and Elfrida take refuge in a rambling house in Scotland which becomes a magnet for various waifs and strays who converge upon it, including an unhappy teenage girl. It could be a recipe for disaster. But somehow the Christmas season weaves its magical spell and for Elfrida and Oscar, in the evening of their lives, the winter solstice brings love and solace.
- ISBN10 125013238X
- ISBN13 9781250132383
- Publish Date 3 January 2017 (first published 1 August 2000)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 30 June 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Thomas Dunne Book for St. Martin's Griffin
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 528
- Language English