The Ashgrove — Diney Costeloe

In 1921, eight ash trees were planted as a memorial to the men from the village who were killed in World War One. Now the Ashgrove is under threat from developers, and the village is torn between the need for more housing and the wish to preserve the memorial. Rachel Elliott, a local journalist, uncovers a mystery surrounding the Ashgrove. Eight men and nine trees--in whose memory is the ninth tree and who planted it? It is only when she is given a diary and some letters that she begins to unravel the truth. Written by a young girl, Molly Day, a nurse in a hospital in France, the diary and letters tell of her life in the hospital and her love for Tom Carter, one of her patients. As the story of Molly and Tom unfolds, Rachel discovers her own links with the past and with the Ashgrove itself, making her determined to save the Ashgrove as a memorial to all the men who lost their lives.