Chapters (71)
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- Part One
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Part Two
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Part Three
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Part Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Part Five
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Books by Barbara Taylor Bradford
- About the Author
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Suddenly his whirling thoughts settled on his nephew. Under no circumstances could she meet Blackie. First, he was a good-looking young boy at thirteen, and that was the inherent problem. Second, he looked older, about sixteen, even seventeen, and had an extremely confident manner. These things would make him bait for a woman like Jeannie Gregson.
Patrick knew instantly that he would not accept the job. He had plenty of work at the moment, and he certainly wasn’t going to take Blackie to Mrs. Burton’s house, expose him to that vulture.
On Monday morning he would write a note to Mrs. Burton, telling her he was booked up for months on end. He would send Benny, one of his apprentices, with the note.
Patrick breathed a sigh of relief and settled more easily in the bed. At one moment, he pushed himself up on an elbow and peered at Eileen. In the dim light of the room, he could see she was fast asleep. This further calmed him; he worried a lot about her health and watched her constantly because of her frailty.
Patrick Michael Kennedy was well aware of his Irish good looks and that all women were immediately drawn to him. He even knew he had a certain kind of charisma that was quite unique.
Yet for all that, he was not vain. He was not a philanderer, nor had he ever taken advantage of women. In fact, he loved Eileen very much and was devoted to her.
Other women he met, when he was out and about and working, held no interest for him. His wife was it, and no one else mattered. Except for his newly arrived nephew. Blackie had always been special to him, and after the heartbreak of his sister and her husband dying, and then their poor children Niall and Bronagh as well, he was thrilled to have been able to bring Blackie to Leeds.
He would be his helper and his heir to the business, company for him, and also for Eileen. At last they would be a little family … only the three of them, but a family, nonetheless. They were bound together by blood and the past and their ancestry.
By nature, Patrick was a gentle man, kind, thoughtful and compassionate, and always concerned for others. The navy meant a lot to him. He still recalled that day he had gone to the recruiting office in Leeds and joined up. He had wanted to be a sailor for as long as he could remember, and was proud of himself and of his uniform when he had enlisted. He was just sixteen years old. Too young to join, so he forged his father’s signature.