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Back A Man of Honour
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

The door opened and the woman standing there took Blackie’s breath away. He had never seen anyone quite so beautiful in his life. He gaped at her as he took in the gleaming light-brown hair piled up on top of her head, eyes as blue as speedwells, and a face that was exquisite. He couldn’t take his eyes away and neither could she.

Sarah cleared her throat and took a step forward, saying as she did, ‘Won’t you come in for a cup of tea, Blackie? Seeing as the night ended early. And it’s turned cold.’

Finding her voice, Angela said, ‘Oh yes, do come in. Sarah’s right, the evening has grown cooler.’ She opened the door wider and stepped back as first Sarah and then Blackie entered the house.

Once Sarah had led him into the parlour, she drew her sister forward and said, ‘This is Blackie O’Neill, Angela. He volunteered to walk me home because it had grown so dark. Meet my sister, Blackie.’

Blackie stretched out his hand and Angela took it. Again they were staring at each other so intently, Sarah had to clear her throat several more times.

Swiftly, Angela let go of Blackie’s hand and moved away, saying as she walked across the floor, ‘I shall go and put the kettle on.’

Once they were alone, Blackie said, ‘I’ve never seen your sister around Upper Armley.’

‘Oh no, you wouldn’t. She lives on the other side of Hill Top, and she’s not often on Town Street.’

‘Doesn’t she live here with ye and your mother?’ Blackie asked, sounding puzzled.

‘No, she doesn’t. She moved out when she got married.’

Blackie felt as if he had been punched hard in the stomach and an unexpected wave of disappointment flooded over him.

‘Who is she married to?’ he managed to ask, his voice sounding hoarse to him.

‘Let’s sit down here near the fire,’ Sarah said. ‘She got married young, to Anthony Welles. He was in the Royal Navy, but sadly he got killed during the Boer War, in 1901. He was lost at sea. Angela is a widow.’

‘Oh, how terrible. ’Tis sorry I am to be hearing that. So young to be a widow,’ he said, startled by this news.

‘She’s twenty-four,’ Sarah told him. ‘But I know she doesn’t look it.’

‘Not at all,’ Blackie murmured, knowing he had filled with relief at Sarah’s words, although a hint of sadness flickered in his mind that she had lost her husband, and she so young.

He knew one other thing. He wanted this woman with a great fierceness that seemed to overwhelm him. And he meant to have her, whatever it took.