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Back A Man of Honour Save as PDF
Chapters (73)
  1. Cover
  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. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  70. Keep Reading …
  71. About the Author
  72. Also by Barbara Taylor Bradford
  73. About the Publisher

Lord Robert stared at Blackie, a sudden look of comprehension entered his eyes, and he nodded vigorously. ‘Of course! A parterre would be absolutely glorious. And how clever of you, Blackie, to solve my problems so swiftly.’ He cleared his throat, and asked, ‘I wonder, well, er, would you take it on, Blackie? I would see you are well compensated.’

‘It would be an honour, Lord Robert, under normal circumstances, but I want to be a builder of houses now. Also, I start a new job on Monday, building a conservatory for a client of ours.’ He straightened up slightly, and said in a solemn tone, ‘My uncle’s made me his partner.’

‘Congratulations, Blackie. That is a wonderful promotion. However, think seriously about working on these gardens. I’m sure with your innate talent you’d get them shipshape quite quickly. And I would pay you well. Extra money is always useful.’

‘All right, m’lord, I’ll think about it. ’Tis perhaps possible for me to fit it in. I’ll have to let ye know. Could I come back in a few weeks to discuss it?’

‘I’m afraid not, Blackie. I have urgent business in London and will travel there early tomorrow.’

Blackie felt a pang of disappointment. His thoughts turned to his cousin, and, wanting to see her again, he took a deep breath and ventured, ‘Will her ladyship be coming to London also, m’lord?’

‘No, probably not. She is only here at Bolton Manor very briefly and then will be staying at her parents’ estate in Skipton. They’re rather old, you know, and not in the best of health. However, I believe she will return here for the shooting in August.’ He smiled a little grimly and murmured, ‘Bolton Manor is not her ladyship’s favourite place, and …’ He paused, cleared his throat, continued. ‘We do tend to lead separate lives and I’m afraid I do tend to be very tied up with my business.’

‘I understand,’ Blackie answered. ‘But ye will be here for August the twelfth, won’t you, Lord Robert?’

Lord Robert nodded, and they continued to walk through the gardens, now speaking about the trees. At the back of Blackie’s mind, the word money lurked temptingly. He hoped he hadn’t passed up a great chance.

THIRTY-ONE

Moira Aherne sat on an iron bench on the moor opposite the Traveller’s Rest pub, lost in her own thoughts.

Earlier on this Saturday, she had suddenly realized she might well have made the wrong move by coming to Leeds.

It might have been better to have gone to London after all. She had been drawn to this northern city because of its reputation, and because people had told her its streets were paved with gold – though she was bright and intelligent, and knew enough to understand that this was just an expression to convey that jobs were plentiful.