The Girl Who Escaped

THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED UTTERLY HEARTBREAKING AND EMOTIONAL WW2 HISTORICAL FICTION ANGELA PETCH BOOKS BY ANGELA PETCH The Girl Who Escaped The Postcard from Italy The Tuscan House A Tuscan Memory The Tuscan Girl The Tuscan Secret AVAILABLE IN AUDIO The Postcard from Italy (Available in the UK and in the US) The Tuscan House (Available in the UK and in the US) A Tuscan Memory (Available in the UK and in the US) The Tuscan Girl (Available in the UK and in the US) The Tuscan Secret (Available in the UK and in the US) CONTENTS Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Epilogue The Tuscan Secret Prologue Chapter 1 Hear More from Angela Books by Angela Petch A Letter from Angela The Postcard from Italy The Tuscan House A Tuscan Memory The Tuscan Girl Author’s Note Acknowledgements To Luigi Micheli (1903–1990) Partigiano combattente, awarded La Croce al merito di guerra and other unsung heroes and heroines of the Italian Campaign. ‘Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?’ PROVERBS XXIV, 11–12 ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION PROLOGUE 20 AUGUST 1988 The black and white photograph, five centimetres square, was creased and faded. It showed four young people, one with a dog at his CHAPTER 1 9 JUNE 1940, URBINO, ITALY DEVORA Sabrina was wearing another new dress for the contessa’s monthly Friday tea party: a soft-cotton voile frock in