Cathy Hayward

She thought she knew her family. One photograph proves she has been living a lie. Joanne has always believed her mother died giving birth to her. It’s a painful truth, but one she’s accepted. Then, whilst sorting through old baby clothes, she finds a photograph tucked away in a box—her birth mother, smiling and very much alive, cradling a newborn in her arms. As Joanne starts searching, the answers she gets only lead to more questions. Her journey takes her to Rose Cottage, where her mother once lived, and into a past filled with long-hidden secrets. Can she find out what really happened? What could be so terrible that her father has kept it from her for her whole life—and is she ready for the trut? evised edition: Previously released as The Secret of the Brighton House, this edition of The Missing Mother of Rose Cottage includes editorial revisions. © 2026 by Cathy Hayward, all rights reserved.

She loved her mother, but did she really know he? s their mother Milly lies dying, the four Highdown Hall sisters gather at her bedside. For months, the youngest daughter, Zoe, has cared for Milly in the family home. The older sisters all have homes of their own, so Zoe will inherit the crumbling manor house and continue their mother’s legacy. But then they read their mother’s will: Zoe is cut out of Highdown Hall entirely—the house goes to her sisters. Zoe is utterly shocked and devastated—did she not know her mother at al? ith tensions rising between the sisters, Zoe begins sorting through Milly’s belongings, trying to find something to help her understand. When she discovers a mysterious iron key that fits no door, she is left only with more questions. What was this terrible secret her mother could never speak abou? s Zoe begins to dig into the past, she tries to hold onto her memories of the mother she loved. But what could have been so devastating that Milly kept silent her whole life? And if Zoe uncovers the truth—will it destroy her forever?