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Back A Man of Honor
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

It seemed to Emma that the months flew by. August had been boiling hot, but now in October the weather was cooler, and she felt better.

She was now four months pregnant, but she was so clever with clothes, she did not show yet. She went to Kallinski’s every day and could now make a full-piece suit. Emma had always enjoyed sewing and was adept with a needle and had focused her tremendous energy on becoming good at the job fast. A sewing machine in a tailoring shop was easy for her too. David Kallinski was a delight to work with, training her well, first to cut sleeves, lapels, then jacket fronts and backs and finally trousers out of the fine Yorkshire cloth that the mills produced. Quickly Emma turned her hand to new skills, lending a hand when the small factory was running behind with orders. Abraham Kallinski could not believe her capacity for work, but while she was friendly with the other factory girls she was never quite one of them, meeting with a polite smile their teasing about her cut-glass accent.

But today she was happy because Blackie O’Neill had finally returned to Leeds. He had left a note for her with Mrs. Daniel, and she had gone to meet him at the Mucky Duck, where she had seen a different side to her friend. When she walked in, he was standing at the piano, his powerful baritone ringing out with the words to “The Minstrel Boy.”

Emma had been moved almost to tears, her throat tight with the bittersweet sadness she experienced when she heard him sing.

Now, as she sat sewing in her attic, she began to laugh to herself. Blackie had been so astounded at her appearance, he had been thunderstruck. She’d never forget his words: “Mary, Mother of Jaysus, whatever have ye done, mavourneen? Ye don’t look like yerself anymore.”

She now recalled how she had been annoyed and had asked him what he had meant, adding that he was being rude. “No, I’m not, Emma. By God, if ye don’t look as fetching than I ever did see ye. As elegant and as beautiful as the Queen of England,” he had announced.

Immediately she had smiled, and explained, “Oh, I see what you mean. It’s just my hair. I copied Queen Alexandra’s style. And the clothes I had from Mrs. Wainright.” Emma knew she was looking her best, in a gray woolen suit she had cut down, with a blue silk blouse Olivia Wainright had discarded long ago. She had pinned the green glass brooch Blackie had once given her on the lapel. And they’d laughed together, and talked, and it had been wonderful to see her friend. And eventually, she had told him about the baby.