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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

The first day he was on duty he knew he had made the right choice. He loved the discipline, the daily regime and the camaraderie of his fellow ratings. He found he enjoyed the company of men and worked well with them. He was truly devoted to the drills, the various daily routines and in general the running of a huge battleship. It took hundreds and hundreds of men like him to properly cope with such an enormous vessel.

He would always recall going up the gangplank, carrying his kit bag and pausing momentarily on that first day. His eyes had lighted on a brass plaque on the wall ahead of him—the words on it: FEAR GOD. HONOR THE KING. A cold shiver had run through him and settled in his heart, underscoring his patriotism and his desire to succeed. He had both ambition and drive, and fully intended to make the navy his career. He worked hard, and had focus, concentration and determination. These three characteristics had pushed him up the ladder at a fairly rapid speed.

He not only drew pleasure from his regime on a daily basis but also appreciated the opportunities of a full education that were offered to him. He concentrated on his reading and writing, studied books on history and geography, and, of course, being clever, he soon improved his manners and way of speaking by observing the way the officers handled themselves. Genial, outgoing and pleasant, he made friends of his mates quite easily, and exercise through heavy work and good solid food kept him strong and in good shape. Patrick had become a highly rated naval man, which pleased him.

The only reason he had left it all behind was Eileen and her need for him by her side. Although it saddened him, he had never resented her for changing his life. He was too big a man for that and, after all, it had been his own decision in the end.

Across the landing, in the small bedroom, its occupant was also unable to sleep. Blackie was awake because of his great excitement about being here with his uncle at last, and because of the kind of comfort he was surrounded by. He couldn’t get over it, simple as it was.

He had never been in a bed before. When his parents had been alive, he had always slept on a mattress on the floor in a corner, covered by an old blanket. He and his siblings shared two mattresses in a tiny bedroom. Afterward, he and Michael had done the same in his cousins’ two-room cottage; Siobhan had slept on an old cot in the main room.