The Favourite Child

Echoes of the Past

In The Favourite Child by Freda Lightfoot (2001, Coronet Books), sisters Lucy and Emma return to the crumbling Hawthorne estate after their mother’s sudden death. Once inseparable, they now stand divided by whispered childhood memories—Lucy, always the golden girl, basked in their mother’s pride, while Emma learned early that love could be rationed. As twilight falls across the ivy-clad walls, each room seems to murmur old accusations and unspoken longings.

The Bonds That Shatter

As the sisters sort through dusty portraits and brittle letters, buried resentments surface. Emma discovers a diary revealing their mother’s darkest judgments, while Lucy uncovers Emma’s secret sacrifices to protect the family’s reputation. Betrayal becomes as palpable as the chill wind seeping through broken windowpanes, and every revelation forces them to confront whether sisterhood can survive the fractures of favoritism and regret.

A Heart Reclaimed

In the novel’s stirring climax, Lucy and Emma must decide whether to cling to old grievances or forge a new bond. Under a cold dawn sky, they reconcile amid the ruins of Hawthorne—learning that forgiveness can bloom where love was once denied. Freda Lightfoot’s poignant tale proves that the true inheritance isn’t birthright or legacy, but the courage to heal the wounds of the heart.