Threads of Silk

Ellie Tyler dreams of a life beyond that of her drunken, tyrannical father and the dangerous East London gangland that she is forced to work within. Her only refuge is in her artistic talents, which she hopes will one day help her escape her nightmarish reality. But when forced to give up her education and endure horrific abuse at the hands of her father, before finally being abandoned by the one man she truly loved, Ellie runs away to a small Essex village. After landing a job at the silk mill and with the encouragement of Alex, the mill owner, Ellie rediscovers her creativity and slowly starts to rebuild her life—but having suffered the unimaginable, will Ellie ever find happiness again or will the "threads of silk" forever bind her to her deadly past?

Roberta Grieve had her first story published in 1998 and since then has had many stories and articles published. She is secretary of the Chichester Writers' Circle and editor of the Chichester Literary Society’s quarterly newsletter.