Blog Post: International Women’s Day Festival 2.0; The Secrets Left Behind – Antoinette Tyrell Extract.

I am so excited to be taking part in the spellbound and Zooloo’s Blog Tours 2.0 event for International Women’s Day! I am lucky enough to be bringing you an extract for Antoinette Tyrell’s The Secrets Left Behind, but before we get to that, let me introduce you to the author, and the book.

Antoinette’s dream in life is to be paid to read books but as a close second, she’s happy to write them instead.
She studied English and History at NUI Maynooth, followed by a career in public relations. Her debut novel, Home to Cavendish, was published by Poolbeg Press in 2019, the same year that Antoinette decided she’d had enough of 9 to 5 life and endless commuting.
Her decision to set up her own writing consultancy coincided neatly with the start of a global health pandemic but despite some setbacks, she has established herself as a successful business and ghost-writer. She recently moved to the Costa Blanca with her partner Ahmed. True to her Irish roots she spends most of her days convinced that it is going to start raining, any minute now.
The Secrets Left Behind, her second novel, is a multi-layered tale of the savage severing of maternal ties, a crumbling marriage built on conjecture, and the devastating impact on the next generation of women. It is set against the backdrop of the patriarchal regime once imposed by the Catholic Church in Ireland and spans the period from 1952 to 1981

Now we’ve met the author, let’s take a look at the book.

Hungry for scandal, the villagers of Rathmichael congregate in the grand Hatchwood House.
Before the night is over, the elusive Kate Millington will lie dead at the bottom of the Hatchwood stairs – her death opening a disturbing window into the past for three women.
Alice, Kate’s daughter, is faced with her grief for a mother who was forever distant. As the circumstances of Kate’s death, and her state of mind, are drawn into question, Alice struggles to understand the appalling truth about her mother’s past.
In New York, a death bed secret brings Faith Cranston to Ireland, where news of a shocking accident in a rural community leads her to a distressing discovery.
Nancy Canning has only seen Kate from afar. Ashamed of her past, an overwhelming fear of human relationships drives Nancy. As the news of Kate’s death spreads through the village, she is forced to overcome her fear of connection, and come to terms with the fact that the shame she feels may not be hers alone.
Over the course of a harsh Irish winter, the women battle misogyny and impediment as they struggle to reveal the secrets about Kate’s past.
But will they ever be able to make peace with the devastating truth they’re about to uncover?

Published: Spellbound Books. Page Count:

Book Hype.
The Story Graph.
Goodreads.
Amazon.
Book Depository.
Waterstones.

It’s finally time for the extract; here you go.

A piercing scream severed the heavy air inside the Hatchwood drawing room. An abrupt halt to the music froze the assembled guests, mid-dance. For a moment Alice Millington didn’t react.
Rooted to the spot where she stood, the blood drained from the young woman’s face as her eyes scanned the room through the smoky fug, desperately seeking her parents.
For hours now, the house had been alive with music and dancing. The dinner parties at
Hatchwood were legendary. Over the years, people had travelled for miles to attend, always guaranteed that something out of the ordinary would happen. Kate Millington, Alice’s mother, had once taken off her clothes and ridden one of her husband’s horses across the front lawn as a dare. Another time, she’d been found in the hallway, smashing china that was rumoured to date from the 18th century.
This evening, Kate had been on her best behaviour, standing obediently by her husband Hugh’s side, as they greeted the guests on their arrival. Over time, parties at Hatchwood had become less frequent, their rarity a further enticement to attend.
Driving up the long avenue and sweeping onto the gravel driveway that curved around the Italianate mansion, those arriving commented to each other that the house had seen better days.
Pale sandstone in colour, the double-fronted country pile belonged to a long-past era of privilege and opulence. The house was entered via wide steps shielded by a tall, stone portico supported by four stately pillars. The entrance steps were slippery with moss which caused some of the women to slip in their high heels. Weeds grew in the two giant ceramic pots either side of the front door. A grey, greasy haze shrouded the windows.
Those who were less kind noted that Kate had seen better days too. No longer at the centre of their social scene, her position had dwindled in recent years. Gone was the woman whose every trend had once been imitated. The sheen had fallen away from her exotic blend of glamour and over-the-top eccentricity that had drawn people to her. Now as they ascended the steps of the house catching their first glimpse of her, they whispered amongst each other.
‘Doesn’t she look old?’
‘The good times have clearly caught up on her.’
A large chandelier hanging inside the front door cast long shadows over the entrance hall. Marble pillars supported the double-height ceiling in the imposing room. Dark mahogany furniture and grim portraits of the Millington ancestors lined the walls. Kate and Hugh stood at the bottom of the vast staircase beside a table laden with brimming champagne glasses. Kate was dwarfed by her husband, her arm linked into Hugh’s. It looked as though she was leaning into him for support. Those who observed for long enough noticed that she swayed occasionally.
At sixty-four years of age she was still an attractive woman, but her auburn hair had turned to grey and was piled haphazardly on her head. Black smudges of mascara gathered under her eyes and a slash of pink lipstick stained her teeth. A mustard-silk, halter-neck evening dress fell in creases around her frail body, her arms stick-like in the light. The harsh colour of the dress gave her a deathly pallor.
In contrast, Hugh stood tall and handsome beside her. His grey hair gave him a distinguished look which was softened by his gentle eyes. The guests swarmed around him, immediately feeling at ease. He exchanged words with every one of them, asking after family members who were sick – remembering the mundane details of the age-related health issues that were plaguing them. His kind nature was in stark contrast to Kate’s aloof presence beside him.
As he put his hand out to greet them, they wondered how had this seemingly unlikely couple come to spend their lives together? They pondered on what his life had been like. Had he been happy to take a back seat to his eccentric wife – remaining in her shadow while playing a supporting role?

What an intriguing extract. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to check out the rest of the 2.0 festival by either following the graphic below, or checking out the directory HERE.