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Chapters (71)
  1. Copyright Notice
  2. Dedication
  3. Part One
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Part Two
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Twenty-Four
  29. Twenty-Five
  30. Twenty-Six
  31. Twenty-Seven
  32. Twenty-Eight
  33. Twenty-Nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-One
  36. Thirty-Two
  37. Part Three
  38. Thirty-Three
  39. Thirty-Four
  40. Thirty-Five
  41. Thirty-Six
  42. Thirty-Seven
  43. Thirty-Eight
  44. Thirty-Nine
  45. Forty
  46. Forty-One
  47. Forty-Two
  48. Forty-Three
  49. Forty-Four
  50. Part Four
  51. Forty-Five
  52. Forty-Six
  53. Forty-Seven
  54. Forty-Eight
  55. Forty-Nine
  56. Fifty
  57. Fifty-One
  58. Fifty-Two
  59. Fifty-Three
  60. Part Five
  61. Fifty-Four
  62. Fifty-Five
  63. Fifty-Six
  64. Fifty-Seven
  65. Fifty-Eight
  66. Fifty-Nine
  67. Sixty
  68. Sixty-One
  69. Books by Barbara Taylor Bradford
  70. About the Author
  71. Newsletter Sign-up

“Oh aye,” Mrs. Daniel answered pithily. “And where’s the mister then?”

Emma had a well-prepared story she had created for herself, and she launched into it in a pleasant tone.

“My dearest husband, Winston Harte, is in the Royal Navy, and at this moment he is sailing on his ship in the Mediterranean Sea. He will be gone for six months. I have moved to Leeds in order to work, and I shall be looking for a permanent home for us. And I need to rent a room, Mrs. Daniel, if you will agree to that, please.”

While Emma had been speaking, Mrs. Daniel had been weighing her up, scrutinizing her intently. And she had noticed the quality of the young woman’s clothes. The black dress was of fine black satin, a little dated, but in good shape. Her cream bonnet was definitely real leghorn straw and the flowers decorating it were made of silk. Gertrude Daniel thought the crocheted gloves were a nice addition.

She’s quality, the landlady decided, and posh. Her speaking, her voice, the ways she said things, denoted upper class. There was something about Mrs. Harte that unexpectedly captivated Mrs. Daniel. She found herself saying, “Well, ye’d better come in, Mrs. Harte. Better to do business inside and not on the front steps, where all the neighbors can see us.”

Gertrude Daniel opened the front door wider, and Emma, holding the suitcase in one hand and her reticule in the other, stepped inside.

Glancing around, Emma was overwhelmed by the decoration in the sitting room. A pure shrine to the style of the late Queen Victoria, with black horsehair sofas and chairs, whatnots and small tables here and there and a plethora of potted aspidistras in brass pots. The copies of famous paintings were horrid, hung on walls covered with bright red flocked-velvet wallpaper.

Swallowing her distaste, Emma exclaimed, “Oh, what a handsome room, Mrs. Daniel! You do have a flair for decorating.”

Mrs. Daniel stared at her. “Why, thank you very much, Mrs. Harte.” Her face softened and Emma seized the opportunity to open her bag.

“Mrs. Daniel, won’t you rent me the attic, please? I would pay in advance.”

“Since ye’ve nowhere else to go at the moment, I’ll show it ter ye. Mind ye, it can only be for a few weeks,” Mrs. Daniel said. “I’ll take ye up ter the attic. It’s small, mind, but clean.” She motioned for Emma to follow her.

Fifty-Five

The attic room was a bit bigger than Emma had expected, and yet cozy as Mrs. Daniel had said it was.