Branching of the Ways

About the Book

Time scale: Just before mobile phones came into general use. Husband leaves wife and children, who, unable to afford life in the city move to the country for peace and quiet and to build a new life away from unhappy memories. Catherine Blackwood’s daughter, 12year old Susie, is attacked and raped whilst playing truant. The story covers Susie’s hospitalization and recovery from her injuries and her abduction whilst on holiday in Blackpool with her grandparents. The arrest of an innocent man, who has met Catherine, Susie and her twin brothers at the hospital whilst visiting his sick wife – and finally the apprehension of the guilty party and the return to normal existence and happiness of the people whose lives have been disrupted.

About the Author

Gillian Grace Lyden was born in 1933 in Worcester. When the Second World War started in September 1939, Gillian, then six, and her father George Pearce needed to evacuate to Little Aston while her mother Grace Blanche Hines-Pearce and her younger brother Gordon stayed in Worcester with their Great Aunt Florence and her husband James Turton. Her education started early in West Bromwich at Beeches Road Junior Infants’ School. From 8 to 18 years of age, she attended St Johns Junior School for Girls and Worcester Grammar School for Girls respectively. She also attended Trent Park Training College from 1951-1953 and was trained as an infants’ teacher. In 1955, she married George Kenneth Millington, a music teacher turned organiser of music in Rochdale. They had a daughter, Rachel Fay Georgette born on 10 February 1969. Gillian and Kenneth divorced in 1972. Gillian and Rachel then moved to Stevenage. Gillian was a Teacher-In-Charge of Music, Art and Display when she was introduced to Cyril Thomas Lyden. She married him in 1975 and she was then appointed to Teacher-In-Charge of a 24 place Nursery Unit in Maidenhall Infants School in Luton. In 1977, when the Nursery Unit expanded to 100 place Unit, Gillian got promoted to a higher scale. She became pregnant but had miscarriage. Gill and Cy divorced in 1985. Her daughter Rachel married Philip Green in 1986. They had three children – Rebecca, Aron and Philip. But they got divorced in late 1990s. Gillian retired from teaching in 1992 but she did supply work – mostly music to infants’ schools for a few years after that. Her final retirement was in 2000. She met Colin John Toten in 1995 and now lives in Kensworth, Bedfordshire.