BooksBarbecue
Back A Place to Call Home Save as PDF
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

When the children were occupied and Ellen had brought out a large saucepan and two wooden spoons for the two youngest to bang on it, Anna opened her purse and took out two pennies to pay for her loaves. She put the bread to her nose and breathed in the aroma. ‘It is very good,’ she said. ‘For old bread. Good bread keeps well.’

‘Anna,’ Ellen said cautiously. ‘What did Mrs Johnson mean,’ she pointed up to the ceiling to indicate their neighbour, ‘when she said you’d be safe here?’

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

‘I told you we are Jews,’ Anna replied. ‘It is a long story why we come here; not everyone welcomes us. I will tell you about it at some other time, yes?’

‘All right,’ Ellen said. ‘Let’s talk about bread.’

‘I could do it.’ Anna was hesitant. ‘But I must speak to Filip first. He is a very proud man and thinks he alone must provide for his family.’

Ellen nodded in agreement. Harry would be the same. ‘If you tell him that it might help you out for the moment,’ she suggested. ‘And that maybe you could get out of ’rathole where you’re living now.’

Anna gasped. ‘There are rats? Have you seen them?’

‘No, no,’ Ellen reassured her. I must remember that Anna doesn’t understand our expressions, she thought, although there probably are rats; we’re very near the river and their room is in the basement. ‘I only meant that the place where you are living doesn’t sound a very nice place to be.’

‘Ah, yes, of course. Do you think I should ask the baker first if I could work for her? She might not want me.’

‘Well, let’s see how we could manage if she did,’ Ellen said positively. ‘She told me that she starts at five o’clock, so that would mean bringing ’children early. But if your husband is at home he could bring them here before he goes out to look for work.’

‘And what would I pay you?’

‘Oh.’ Ellen hadn’t thought of that, but Anna’s children would need feeding whilst they were staying with her and she couldn’t afford to pay out for extra mouths. ‘With food,’ she said. ‘We could share ’cost of vegetables, and meat if we could afford it, and mebbe you could bring home day-old bread if there is any? But perhaps you should ask Filip before we plan.’