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Back Plough the Furrow
Chapters (53)
  1. Cover
  2. Title page
  3. Dedication page
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty-one
  25. Twenty-two
  26. Twenty-three
  27. Twenty-four
  28. Twenty-five
  29. Twenty-six
  30. Twenty-seven
  31. Twenty-eight
  32. Twenty-nine
  33. Thirty
  34. Thirty-one
  35. Thirty-two
  36. Thirty-three
  37. Thirty-four
  38. Thirty-five
  39. Thirty-six
  40. Thirty-seven
  41. Thirty-eight
  42. Thirty-nine
  43. Forty
  44. Forty-one
  45. Forty-two
  46. Forty-three
  47. Forty-four
  48. Sow the Seed
  49. Reap the Harvest
  50. About the Author
  51. ALSO BY MARGARET DICKINSON
  52. Acknowledgements
  53. Copyright page

Ma Harris let out a long sigh and now there was more sadness than censure in her tone. ‘Oh, Esther lass, part of me does understand why you were drawn to that young feller, but it’s hard for me to forgive you. Young Matthew has always been part of our lives. I helped bring him into the world in that cottage next door,’ she nodded her head beyond her own cottage wall indicating the adjoining house. ‘He were like one of me own and after he’d lost both his parents, well, he more or less did become one of me family. But more than that even, it was you leaving your bairn in the house on her own that really riled me. Ya know how I am about bairns?’

‘I – I know you think badly of me and I’m sorry, real sorry. As for Kate, yes, I felt guilty about that and it never happened again.’

Ma cast her a sideways glance but said no more. To Esther her look said, ‘So, you took him into the house then – into Matthew’s house.’

Esther’s chin came a little higher, but she kept her tone submissive. ‘There’s a lot I’m sorry for now – a lot that’s to do with Matthew – and Beth. But I’ll never, ever, say I’m sorry I met Jonathan.’

Ma gasped and stared at her. Esther met her gaze levelly. ‘Eeh, lass, you’re honest, I’ll say that for ya. An’ though I dun’t hold with what ya’ve done, ya didn’t skulk about it. Ya didn’t try to hide what was going on between you and Jonathan from us all, even knowing we wouldn’t like it. You’re a strange one, Esther Hilton, an’ no mistake.’

Then slowly, like the sun appearing as a cloud passed away, a smile began to spread across Ma’s shrunken mouth. She shook her head, almost as if in disbelief at herself for what she was about to say. ‘I can’t go on being mad at ya – an’ the Lord knows I’ve tried. Truth is, I’ve missed ya, lass. Missed talking and laughing with ya, I really have.’

Now she was smiling broadly and Esther was smiling back.

‘So, you’ll both be here for Christmas this year, will you?’

‘Try and keep us away!’

So it was a merry Christmas that year of 1918 which Esther and Kate shared with the Harris family once more, for Mr Harris and all their brood took their lead from Ma. Her word was law. If she wanted nothing to do with Esther Hilton, then they obeyed, but if Ma forgave and welcomed her back, then they were ready to do that too.