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Back Goodnight Lady Save as PDF
Chapters (60)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Praise
  4. Dedication
  5. BOOK ONE
  6. Prologue 1989
  7. Chapter One
  8. Chapter Two
  9. Chapter Three
  10. Chapter Four
  11. Chapter Five
  12. Chapter Six
  13. Chapter Seven
  14. Chapter Eight
  15. Chapter Nine
  16. BOOK TWO - 1925
  17. Chapter Ten - 1925
  18. Chapter Eleven
  19. Chapter Twelve
  20. Chapter Thirteen
  21. Chapter Fourteen
  22. Chapter Fifteen
  23. Chapter Sixteen
  24. Chapter Seventeen
  25. Chapter Eighteen
  26. Chapter Nineteen
  27. Chapter Twenty
  28. Chapter Twenty-one
  29. Chapter Twenty-two
  30. Chapter Twenty-three
  31. Chapter Twenty-four
  32. Chapter Twenty-five
  33. Chapter Twenty-six
  34. Chapter Twenty-seven
  35. Chapter Twenty-eight
  36. Chapter Twenty-nine
  37. Chapter Thirty
  38. Chapter Thirty-one
  39. Chapter Thirty-two
  40. BOOK THREE - 1947
  41. Chapter Thirty-three
  42. Chapter Thirty-four
  43. Chapter Thirty-five
  44. Chapter Thirty-six
  45. Chapter Thirty-seven
  46. Chapter Thirty-eight
  47. Chapter Thirty-nine
  48. Chapter Forty
  49. BOOK FOUR - 1968
  50. Chapter Forty-one - 1968
  51. Chapter Forty-two
  52. Chapter Forty-three
  53. Chapter Forty-four
  54. Chapter Forty-five
  55. Chapter Forty-six
  56. Chapter Forty-seven
  57. Chapter Forty-eight
  58. Chapter Forty-nine
  59. Chapter Fifty - 1970
  60. EPILOGUE

‘I can just see you now, in an early dotage, sitting on the prom in a bleeding bathchair. Listen here, Briony, you’ve got a lot of bother at the moment, I know that. You ain’t been yourself since all that with Ginelle. That threw you. I watched you change. But even if you did leave this place, left London even, you’d soon be back. You’re a woman who needs aggravation, you bloody well thrive on it. Otherwise, why the hell would you have opened up your houses? Look at this week. You’ve had no Tommy to back you up yet you’ve sorted out Eileen, in between running your clubs and your houses, of course.’

Cissy’s voice was full of admiration. ‘Me, I couldn’t organise the proverbial piss up. Don’t sell yourself short, and don’t get maudlin. Get drunk if you want, let off a bit of steam, but don’t let it all get you down now. I don’t like seeing you depressed. Somehow, if you’re not right, then the world around you don’t seem right.’

Briony looked into the face of her old friend. Cissy was only a few years older than she, yet she looked ancient. She was a workhouse child, had known nothing but hard work all her life. Without it she was like a fish out of water. That’s why she couldn’t bear to let a younger girl take on any of her work. She had to be needed, to earn her keep. It was something that had been drummed into her at a very early age.

‘I’m all right, Cissy, but I have a lot to think about these days. There’s been trouble with Kerry. I don’t think she’s exactly going to love me for a while. I had to do something that won’t make me the most popular sister in the smoke.’

‘What happened then?’

Briony shook her head. ‘I can’t say, Cissy love. I think that’s something best left between me and Kerry.’ And me mother, she thought, because Molly was adamant that Kerry was never to darken her doors again.

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-six

Briony had dressed carefully for her meeting with Mariah, the two women were going to look at Berwick Manor and decide if it was a viable business. Briony already knew the answer would be yes, because Mariah was shrewd. All they would do today was put Briony’s stamp of approval on it and make an offer.