A Family Tree

A contemporary tale of love and tragedy set against the backdrop of Argyll's dramatic forest scenery, much of the story takes place in and around Ardcairn Estate owned by an imperious American heiress Miss Lacelaw. Weaving like a constant thread throughout the story is an old Douglas Fir - the 'Family Tree' - that unites the characters in life, love, death and new life.

Neil, the self-made son of a forest worker, is locked into a self-destructive relationship with Morag, a local lass. One wild night Neil's collie dog discovers Sophie - a pre-University student on an expedition - lying unconscious by the Douglas Fir. Neil saves her life but through the interference of Miss Lacelaw, they lose touch with one another.

Later, when Neil finds a ring that Sophie lost at the Family Tree, he traces it back to Dorothy, Sophie's aristocratic grandmother. Dorothy helps Neil find Sophie, who is studying at St Andrews, but the two of them are fated not to meet properly. One evening they find themselves unexpectedly reunited at a ceilidh in Oban. During the reeling Sophie loses her ring again but Neil retrieves it and slips it onto her finger. Seeing Neil's unmistakable love for Sophie, Morag makes a dramatic exit in a drunken rage.

Romance blossoms between Neil and Sophie and they spend an idyllic summer at a cottage on Ardcairn belonging to Ann, Neil's psychic godmother who is Miss Lacelaw's housekeeper. After some memorable adventures Neil and Sophie marry, with a ceremony held at The Family Tree.

Pregnant by now, on the night that a massive storm hits Argyll, Sophie's waters break prematurely. Rushing back from Edinburgh to be by her side, Neil is tragically killed in a motorbike accident at the same time that Dorothy dies watching a rugby match. When Sophie regains consciousness she discovers that she has lost the two people she most loved in the world... and gained a daughter.

The novel opens and closes with the arrival at Ardcairn of a married couple - David and Eleanor - who are buying the Estate from Miss Lacelaw. This sets the scene for the arrival of Ann, who realises that there is an uncanny connection between Eleanor and Sophie. Although Eleanor is in truth Sophie's daughter, Sophie had kept this fact secret all her life. It is now left to Ann to tell Eleanor the story of her connection to Sophie, Ardcairn and The Family Tree.

Following a momentous evening of revelation and a night of passion the new owners of Ardcairn pay homage to that survivor of the great storm The Family Tree, that now belongs to them. Is this an act of closure, or perhaps a new beginning? Might Eleanor even now be pregnant, and will The Family Tree see a connection to a third generation?