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Back A Season for Hope Save as PDF
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Chapter One
  4. Chapter Two
  5. Chapter Three
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Chapter Six
  9. Chapter Seven
  10. Chapter Eight
  11. Chapter Nine
  12. Chapter Ten
  13. Chapter Eleven
  14. Chapter Twelve
  15. Chapter Thirteen
  16. Chapter Fourteen
  17. Chapter Fifteen
  18. Chapter Sixteen
  19. Chapter Seventeen
  20. Chapter Eighteen
  21. Chapter Nineteen
  22. Chapter Twenty
  23. Chapter Twenty-One
  24. Chapter Twenty-Two
  25. Chapter Twenty-Three
  26. Chapter Twenty-Four
  27. Chapter Twenty-Five
  28. Chapter Twenty-Six
  29. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  30. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  31. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  32. Chapter Thirty
  33. Chapter Thirty-One
  34. Chapter Thirty-Two
  35. Chapter Thirty-Three
  36. Chapter Thirty-Four
  37. Chapter Thirty-Five
  38. Chapter Thirty-Six
  39. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  40. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  41. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  42. Chapter Forty
  43. Chapter Forty-One
  44. Chapter Forty-Two
  45. Chapter Forty-Three
  46. Chapter Forty-Four
  47. Acknowledgements
  48. About the Authors
  49. Also by Rosie Goodwin
  50. Welcome to the world of Rosie Goodwin!
  51. Letter from Author
  52. Meat and Potato Pie
  53. The Precious Stones series
  54. The Days of the Week Collection
  55. Mothering Sunday
  56. Victorian Tales from Memory Lane
  57. Memory Lane Club

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly for Amber as she sat watching the world go by from the window, until at six o’clock sharp, just as Mrs Carter had predicted, she saw her uncle heading along the road. She took a deep breath. All she could do now was pray that he would allow her to stay here until after the baby’s birth. If he didn’t, she had no idea what she was going to do, but one thing was for sure, there could be no going back home. If she did she dreaded to think of what her father might do when he learnt she was with child, or worse still, what Barnaby might do when he discovered that she hadn’t got rid of it as he’d ordered!

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Sitting across the dining room table from her uncle, Amber pushed the food about her plate. Apart from acknowledging her when he had returned home and requesting that she join him for dinner, he had said not a word and now she was nervous as she wondered if he would allow her to stay.

The meal – pork chops served with boiled potatoes and vegetables – was simple, although nicely cooked and presented, but Amber found that she couldn’t swallow a mouthful of it and so she was thankful when her uncle finished and dabbed at his lips with a napkin.

Only then did he look at her and say, ‘So, what’s to be done regarding your situation, eh?’

‘Well . . . as my mother said in her letter, we were hoping you’d let me stay here, just till after the baby’s born, sir,’ she added hastily. She didn’t want him to think that she was hoping to foist herself on him forever. ‘I can work,’ she hurried on. ‘An’ I don’t mind what I do, I’m used to hard work. I could help out in the shop, or per’aps help Mrs Carter here?’

‘Hm.’ Her uncle stroked his chin as he stared at her thoughtfully. ‘I suppose you could help out in the shop, at least until your condition becomes evident,’ he mused. ‘I’m a great believer that idle hands make work for the devil. But what about what we discussed earlier – about your leaving the child at the poorhouse once it’s born? What will happen if you can’t go through with parting with it and you decide you want to keep it?’

‘But I won’t want to keep it!’ Amber answered vehemently. ‘How could I? I know I could never take to it knowin’ how its father has treated me!’

‘Very well then, in that case you may stay here until after the birth, which will be when?’

‘I reckon about early September,’ Amber answered in a small voice and he nodded.