Unexpected Answers

Doreen and her sister, Veronica have been brought up to believe that their parents, Bill and Mary Hard had no siblings and that all their grandparents had died many years earlier. As with most families in the 1950’s the children were discouraged from asking questions.
Then one day, shortly before his death in 1987 Bill announced to his daughters the astonishing news that the name on his birth certificate was not the same as the one they knew him by. Any attempt to learn further details was snuffed out by their parents’ continued reticence. Little did the sisters know that this piece of information would help lead them to an amazing discovery of the secret past lives of their parents.
‘Unexpected Answers’ reveals the meeting of Bill and Mary over sixty years earlier and moves through their heart-rending decision that was to change the lives of so many people, leaving scandal in its wake. Despite the agony of guilt, their love affair survived as they lived and worked together, striving against adversity such as ill health, bankruptcy and tragedy that Mary believed was her deserved punishment from God. Just weeks before her death she sought her priest to make a desperate confession, never having told another living soul her secret.
Once both parents had passed away, Veronica and Doreen began their journey of discovery. Armed with scant knowledge, it seemed an impossible task but in 1998 the sisters travelled to a village in Essex where they knew of a house in which their mother had lived as a child. They were invited in by the present owner who was able to provide them with a few more clues.
Exactly one year later, Doreen received a telephone call from the owner telling her that an American family had visited the house and seemed to be related to the sisters in some way. This was exciting news for the them, but their excitement was short-lived as the elderly lady became confused, saying that no contact details had been taken. From excitement to devastation in a moment. How were they ever to find these people?
This book is a true love story inspired by the lives of the author’s parents. The couple had kept their secret for over sixty years, taking it to their graves. With very few clues to go on, the author and her sister sought answers to their questions. That seemingly impossible situation the sisters found themselves faced with, so near and yet so far, could never have been resolved without an amazing coincidence (miracle) on the internet. The final shocking truth was life-changing, causing a shift in their perception of the family life they thought they knew - a life, they discovered, that was built on lies.