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Back Sisters of Gold Save as PDF
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

‘It’s all right – I’ll take you back,’ Lizzie said. ‘Den can’t today, I don’t s’pose.’

They bought bread and tea from Mrs Willis, who made sarcastic noises suggesting oh, she could actually afford it this time, could she? when Lizzie produced her coins. Annie managed to hold back from delivering a lecture about being such a sour, uncharitable old lemon.

The entry was dark as pitch. Annie felt Margaret reach for her in the dark, placing her hand on Annie’s back to follow her along. The yard was a pool of dirty yellow fog in the feeble lamplight and as soon as they drew near, they could hear Nellie howling again.

‘Oh, dear,’ Lizzie said, sounding distraught. She pushed the door open. ‘Mom? I’m back. I’ve got Miss Annie with me – and her sister.’

A low, dismayed exclamation came from inside. Mary Poole was sitting at the table carding buttons. Nellie had pulled herself to her feet beside the chair and was yanking at her mother, crying and coughing. Lizzie went and picked her up.

‘Good evening, Mrs Poole,’ Annie said, stepping inside with Margaret following close behind. Mary Poole looked at them fearfully.

‘Lizzie said that your other children are poorly now,’ Annie said over Nellie’s wailing as Lizzie tried to pacify her. The child’s nose was running and she looked the picture of woe. ‘So we came to see if there was any help we could give you. This is my sister, Margaret.’

‘Hello, Mrs Poole,’ Margaret said. Her smile and gentle voice were reassuring.

‘Oh, I wasn’t expecting –’ Mary Poole pushed herself to her feet, looking even more scrawny and exhausted than Annie remembered. ‘I don’t know if I’m coming or going . . .’ She recovered herself. ‘Nice to meet you.’ She peered at Margaret, then said to Annie, ‘Ain’t you both pretty? She your big sister?’

‘Yes,’ Annie said, looking around. Lizzie, with the baby on one hip, went to stoke up the range. The room had a dank chill to it. ‘Where are the little ones – upstairs? May we go and see how they are?’

Mary Poole nodded. ‘Den’s been bad today. I think Ivy’s a bit better, but they’ve both been poorly. I don’t know what to do for ’em . . .’ She spoke rapidly, sounding close to tears. Annie felt terribly sorry for this poor woman with too much on her plate for anyone to manage. ‘Give Miss Hanson a candle, Lizzie . . . I dunno what to do for the best.’

Annie had realized, after spending time with Mary Poole, that while she was well intentioned, she seldom did know what to do for the best. She would stare at Annie with her childlike blue eyes, looking ever bewildered by life. Annie understood the effect on Mary Poole of never having had a mother or anyone else to show her how to manage.