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
- Newsletter Sign-up
Blackie nodded and smiled back, and waved to Gladys, who was standing near the doorway to the kitchen. As he waited, he knew he was correct about Moira. These two desserts were only served in really good restaurants or stately homes and manor houses. Moira had probably been reared in one or the other.
Twenty-Four
Once everyone was enjoying their pudding, Blackie directed his gaze toward Moira, and asked, “Don’t you have any family left in Ireland?”
Her spoon was halfway to her mouth, but she put it down on her plate, and said, “No, I don’t. My parents are dead.”
“I’m sorry, Moira, for yer loss. And no siblings then?” He raised a dark brow, his curiosity most apparent.
“No, I was an only child.”
“I understand, and Tommy O’Hara was a friend in Galway?”
“Yes, I knew him there.…” Her voice trailed off, and she picked up her spoon and began to eat once more.
So did Blackie, but being so interested in her background, he couldn’t help asking about her past life. “So did they die recently? So that’s why you came to Leeds?”
Moira stared at him for a long moment, and then replied quietly, “They have been dead for a number of years, and I came to England because I knew there were opportunities here. More than in Ireland.”
“That’s true, sure and it is, but why pick Leeds?”
“You know very well that Tommy had a cousin here,” she said in a slightly sharper voice.
“I do; indeed I do. But Tommy O’Hara has lots of connections in London. I be thinking he might have been helpful ter ye.”
“He never suggested that.”
“So did ye have a job in Ireland?”
“Sort of, yes.”
“And where did ye live then? With a relative, perhaps?”
“No, I didn’t. I lived with … a woman who was kind and compassionate. I was a lady’s maid.”
“Oh, that will be useful information for Mrs. Wilson, I believe. What do—”
Moira cut him off sharply, and exclaimed, “No more questions, Blackie! I feel as if this is a version of the Spanish Inquisition. I don’t understand you, asking so much about my past.”
Finn exclaimed in a loud voice, “I agree with Moira. Stop it!” Looking at her, he said in a quieter tone, “He’s a nosey Parker, that’s wot he is. Shame on ye, Blackie!”
A flush rose from Blackie’s neck to his face, and he said swiftly, “I’m very sorry, Moira. I didn’t mean ter upset ye. I’m just interested in yer upbringing, sure and that’s all it is.”
“Why?” she asked, still staring at him. “Why is my upbringing so important to you?” Her voice had risen.