The story
She came back to sell. She'd forgotten she'd ever been.
I · The Inheritance
When her aunt Elizabeth dies, Eleanor “Nell” Mercer, a controlled London corporate solicitor, inherits the controlling interest in Inverrane — a fading Edwardian hotel on the Hebridean island of Innis Ròn. She arrives fully intending to sell. But the hotel's manager, Cara Campbell, seems to know more about Nell's past than Nell does.
II · Fragments
As Nell sizes up the hotel, the island starts stirring things she thought she had left behind — a name on a guest ledger, a photograph on the stairs — and Cara isn't making any of it easier.
III · The Swim
Nell was here before. Aged 21, with her mother dying, she spent a summer on the island and formed an intense friendship with sixteen-year-old Cara, who fell in love with her. One early morning swim changes how Nell sees Inverrane — and the woman who runs it.
IV · Now
Nell begins to suspect that the most unsettling thing about Inverrane isn't the hotel. It's how much Cara remembers — and how carefully she's hiding it.
V · The Storm
A storm cuts the island off. By candlelight, a long night brings Nell and Cara closer than either of them planned.
VI · Pretend
Cara draws a line — she won't be someone's holiday again. Nell, who has always been the one in control, isn't used to being the one left guessing.
VII · Goodbye
The past finally catches up with Nell: the secret sale that ended in Fiona Campbell's death, the storm of 17 November 2008, and the way she left without saying goodbye. Now she has to face what she walked away from.
VIII · Stranded
Cut off together one last time, Nell and Cara can no longer avoid what has been building between them.
IX · London
Back in the city, Nell has a decision to make — and for once, it's hers alone.
X · The Vote
A new offer from Calder Developments revives the sale that destroyed two families. Under Elizabeth's will, Inverrane cannot be sold without the agreement of the staff and the island trust. Inverrane's future comes down to a vote — and two women must each decide where they truly belong.
The place
An Edwardian hotel on the cliffs of a small Hebridean island, reached only by ferry. Its glory has faded, its staff have stayed, and its rooms hold more than its guests remember.