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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

Patrick was reminding himself to go to the workshop after dinner to pay the men their wages for the week. He also needed to write that note to Mrs. Burton, to tell her he couldn’t mend her window sashes. That was most important. He had to avoid the housekeeper.

Eileen was wondering how Blackie had managed to stay healthy and grow tall when he had lived in Ireland. It was obvious to her he had had more food than some because of his height and build, and yet in the two days he had been here he had always appeared to be very hungry. It struck her then that he’d probably filled up on cheap staples like potatoes, bread and … bread … and more bread. That seemed to be the main food of the truly poor. A chunk of bread and a trickle of jam or treacle, and water.

She had been born in North Kerry herself, but she had been brought to Leeds by her parents when she was only two years old. Her father, Mike Loughlin, and her mother, Dervla Loughlin, had gone to Yorkshire and to Leeds, specifically, to work alongside Mike’s elder brother, Cornelius, known to most as Con, or Connie. He had left Ireland years before and had been trained as a mechanical engineer.

Eventually he had opened his own small shop and done well. He was a glutton for work, had immense concentration, focus and strength. He had never married, because he had never met the right girl, even though he was a bit of a womanizer and genuinely liked girls.

Yet true love had eluded him. Still, he enjoyed his bachelor life, was gregarious and generous and helped his brother to become successful by having him also train as an engineer. Eventually Connie had made Mike his partner in the machine shop.

Eileen, her mind whirling with thoughts of her family, realized at that precise moment that the Loughlins had had luck on their side. She also knew, deep down inside, that her uncle Connie had always had a soft spot for her. Perhaps even a yen. She let that peculiar thought slide away and buried it.

Blackie slowed down, began to eat the last few mouthfuls a little less quickly. He had loved the meal. It had been a feast, but he had cleared his plate before his aunt and uncle. He glanced at Eileen surreptitiously, thinking how kind she was the way she had divided the fourth sausage between his uncle and himself. She was a good woman.