BooksBarbecue
Back Sisters of Gold
Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. Title page
  3. Dedication page
  4. A Week’s Work in Birmingham
  5. I
  6. One
  7. Two
  8. Three
  9. Four
  10. Five
  11. Six
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Ten
  16. Eleven
  17. Twelve
  18. Thirteen
  19. Fourteen
  20. Fifteen
  21. Sixteen
  22. Seventeen
  23. Eighteen
  24. Nineteen
  25. Twenty
  26. Twenty-One
  27. Twenty-Two
  28. Twenty-Three
  29. Twenty-Four
  30. II
  31. Twenty-Five
  32. Twenty-Six
  33. Twenty-Seven
  34. Twenty-Eight
  35. Twenty-Nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-One
  38. Thirty-Two
  39. Thirty-Three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. Thirty-Eight
  45. Thirty-Nine
  46. III
  47. Forty
  48. Forty-One
  49. Forty-Two
  50. Forty-Three
  51. Forty-Four
  52. Forty-Five
  53. Forty-Six
  54. Forty-Seven
  55. Forty-Eight
  56. Forty-Nine
  57. Fifty
  58. Fifty-One
  59. Fifty-Two
  60. Fifty-Three
  61. Acknowledgements
  62. Further Reading
  63. About the Author
  64. By the Same Author

‘Oh, my dear –’ Aunt Harriet leaned forward. ‘I’m sorry for asking. Don’t get upset. We won’t talk about it – not unless you want to.’

‘I’m so ashamed,’ Margaret blurted, between her sobs. ‘I’m so sorry, Auntie – for putting you to all this trouble.’

‘She’s got nothing to be ashamed of!’ She heard Annie’s voice, low and fierce. ‘Margaret’s not the one at fault.’

‘All right, dear,’ Aunt Harriet said, seeming perturbed by Annie’s tone. ‘But we don’t need to go into anything now, do we?’

There was a silence in which Margaret managed to control her tears. She wiped her eyes and looked up.

‘Come along – tea.’ Aunt Harriet got up and they heard the comforting sound of pouring tea. ‘Here – have a piece of cake and let’s not be miserable, eh? Whatever it is, it can wait until you’re more rested.’

Three

Three

There was a brief interval of calm in which they sipped cups of strong tea. While Margaret composed herself, Annie told Aunt Harriet about their journey: the bus to Bristol, the train from Temple Meads station, the tram journey with Jack Sidwell. She did not mention the fainting fit on the tram, for which Margaret was grateful. She marvelled again at her little sister’s energy. Annie did not seem at all tired.

As Aunt Harriet was pouring them a second cup of tea, they heard faint sounds from the yard, voices and the clump of boots.

‘Ah – they’re coming out,’ Harriet said. Seeing their puzzled faces she said, ‘Eb’s shopping is at the back – that’s what we call the workshop where we make everything. There’s an entry –’ She nodded towards the back window. They could hear footsteps and voices, passing along the side of the house. ‘At least they don’t have to come through the house all the time. Although there’re Jack and Sid with their rooms upstairs, tramping in and out. That’s another reason we want to move – keeping the place clean is the devil.’

There came the sound of a deep, warm voice ‘pom-pomming’ tunefully somewhere along the passage at the back. A moment later the voice boomed, ‘Hatt?’

‘All right, love, we’re in here!’ Aunt Harriet smiled. ‘It’s Eb. He’ll be pleased to see you.’

‘So – have those young ladies . . . ? Ah!’ Their uncle stood at the doorway. ‘Here you are!’ Margaret smiled, the sight of him warming her heart. Although Uncle Eb and her mother did not exactly look alike, she could see Leah, her mother, in him and it was a great comfort. She knew for sure then that it had been right to come here and seek refuge with these kindly, reassuring people.