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Back A Place to Call Home
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

‘Just a little further,’ Ellen said to Sarah, ‘and then we’ll turn round and walk home again.’

‘It’s not home,’ Sarah piped up. ‘We only live here. Soon we’ll go back home again and see Gran and Grandda and Auntie Lizzie and Grammy and Grandpa and Auntie Meg and Auntie Polly’ – she heaved a big breath – ‘and everybody. We’ll go for Christmas dinner!’

‘No, we can’t do that, Sarah,’ Ellen explained. ‘This is where we live now.’

‘Yes, I know,’ the little girl said fervently. ‘But we’ll go for Christmas dinner.’

Ellen didn’t enlighten her further, but as she about-turned the children to walk back the way they had come she was thinking, I wonder? Would it be possible?

Her mother had always cooked roast beef for a special treat at Christmas, or sometimes a leg of pork or a bird if Ellen’s father had been given one by his employer, for he still worked as a casual labourer. She also cooked Yorkshire pudding to make the meat go further, and during autumn prepared and steamed a plum pudding with a polished coin hidden inside it. Since she served the pudding, she could make sure that the coin was found by one of her many grandchildren on Christmas Day.

Ellen sighed. The faithful little hen that her mother had sent with Billy was still alive and clucking, but she had given up laying now the weather was colder, and Ellen had reluctantly decided that her time was up; she was destined for the pot. But suppose they did go to Holderness? Would it be possible? It would only be for Christmas Day, for Harry would probably have to work on Boxing Day; she didn’t know what happened in town. In their former home Harry had always gone out to check the farm animals on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, never trusting anyone else to look after them as well as he did; but then he would come home to enjoy the rest of the day with his family.

No, she thought as they tramped back. It was too far. They must enjoy Christmas here in Hull; but then, what about Mary? She couldn’t possibly have Christmas without her younger daughter.

‘In you go.’ She ushered the children inside their door. ‘What about a nice cup of cocoa to warm us up?’