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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

‘Won’t you come in, Mrs Lucan? The pony will be quite safe tied to ’lamppost.’ As she spoke, she saw again an image of Benny, and wondered when he would be at peace.

‘Thank you, I will. I wanted to be sure that you were in before I tied him. He’s a young pony and rather frisky.’

‘He’s lovely.’ Ellen stepped down to help her. ‘What’s his name?’

‘We call him Young Bonny. My husband used to have a horse called Bonny when he was a young man, so it was a sentimental choice.’

She laughed as she spoke, and Ellen thought how alike she and her brother Henry Thorpe were. She followed Ellen inside, and although Ellen initially felt embarrassed over bringing her into their single room with its unmistakable aroma of soup, Mrs Lucan seemed to be quite at ease as she said hello to the children and asked their names.

‘I have four children,’ she said to Ellen, ‘though much older than yours,’ and she cast a humorous glance at Thomas, who was showing off by turning tipple tail on the floor. ‘Boys can be a handful, can’t they?’

She sat down by the fire as Ellen bid her, commented on the delicious smell coming from the pan, and putting her head to one side said, ‘I can detect a Holderness accent, I think? It’s like mine used to be before I came to live in Hull.’

‘Really?’ Ellen was astonished. ‘Dr Lucan did mention you were from Holderness too, but I can’t hear a trace of an accent.’

‘I’ve lost it, I think,’ Mrs Lucan answered. ‘Probably because I became an innkeeper and mixed with many different people. But it’s still there sometimes; I don’t try to hide it.’

Ellen warmed to her and sat down in the chair opposite. ‘Would you like a cup of tea, Mrs Lucan? I have to warn you that it could take some time for ’kettle to boil as this fire is my onny means of cooking.’

‘Oh!’ It was Mrs Lucan’s turn to be astonished. ‘No, I won’t, thank you. However do you manage? You must be very organized.’

‘I’ve had to be,’ Ellen admitted. ‘I had no option. This was ’onny place we could afford when we came.’

‘And why did you come?’

‘My husband – Harry – lost his job on a farm. His employer died and ’new landowner wanted to do things differently and had no place for him.’