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Chapters (59)
  1. Cover
  2. ABOUT THE BOOK
  3. Dedication
  4. PREFACE
  5. CHAPTER ONE
  6. CHAPTER TWO
  7. CHAPTER THREE
  8. CHAPTER FOUR
  9. CHAPTER FIVE
  10. CHAPTER SIX
  11. CHAPTER SEVEN
  12. CHAPTER EIGHT
  13. CHAPTER NINE
  14. CHAPTER TEN
  15. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  16. CHAPTER TWELVE
  17. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  19. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  20. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  21. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  22. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  23. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  44. CHAPTER FORTY
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  54. CHAPTER FIFTY
  55. ENDING
  56. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  57. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  58. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  59. Also by Val Wood

‘I mean that Ellen, single-handedly, is overcoming prejudice and bigotry by simply being herself and treating everybody she meets as equal, whatever their nationality or religion or owt else for that matter.’

‘Well, I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,’ Ellen’s mother humphed. ‘We don’t know any such people save Mrs Coggin in ’village, who’s a Catholic.’

‘Oh, but …’ Ellen began, ‘I’m not … I don’t … what I mean is, if you’re thinking of the Boscos or Mrs Johnson and her daughter, then they’re just ’same as us. There’s no difference between us, Harry, as you very well know.’

‘Well,’ Mrs Snowden said, when all had been explained, ‘I’ve nivver met them, but I don’t suppose they’ve got two heads, and I dare say they’re pretty much ’same as us when it comes to wanting somewhere to rest their weary bones and earn an honest living. So you do right, our Ellen, to offer them sanctuary; nowt special about that.’ She glared at Harry. ‘So don’t you be giving her a swollen head by thinking that there is when it’s onny human decency to do so.’

Harry opened and closed his mouth. He had wanted to praise his wife but somehow he had ended up at odds with his mother-in-law, and possibly his wife too, though he thought he had caught sight of a twitch of Ellen’s lips as she glanced at him. He sighed. It seems I can’t do right for doing wrong. He decided to go outside and look at the stars and leave the women to sort out the world’s difficulties without him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Ellen’s mother had cooked a shank of ham, and when Ellen’s father and Billy came home they ate it cold for supper, with potatoes baked in their skins in the oven and red cabbage cooked with sliced spiced apple. She had also made a nutmeg-flavoured rice pudding with a brown skin on top which Ellen cut up into pieces for the children and Harry, who all loved it.

When they had finished eating and cleared away, Harry said he’d better be getting off to his mother’s house where he was to spend the night. He would stable and feed the horse there.

‘I hear your ma’s not all that well,’ Ellen’s mother murmured. ‘Give her our best wishes.’

‘Thank you, I will,’ Harry replied. ‘She didn’t remember who I was when I last saw her. I’m hoping that Meg has reminded her I’m coming to see her.’