Chapters (64)
- Cover
- Title page
- Dedication page
- A Week’s Work in Birmingham
- I
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- II
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- III
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Acknowledgements
- Further Reading
- About the Author
- By the Same Author
‘What? He came here?’ She advanced on her aunt. ‘Charles Barber? Where are they? Did she say she’d go with him? Where’ve they gone?’
Aunt Hatt took a step backwards in the face of Annie’s urgent questions. ‘Well, he said they were going to Banbury, to see something. He’s going to a new church there, I think he said.’
‘And she said she’d go – with him?’
‘Yes. She seemed quite happy about it. It all sounded very nice, Annie – I don’t know what you’re in such a stew about. They’ll be back later – they’ve only gone for the afternoon.’
‘But Auntie,’ Annie burst out, ‘Charles Barber is a terrible man. I know he can turn on the charm and he’s good-looking and makes everyone feel sorry for him and convinces them into thinking he’s nice, but he’s not. He’s wicked. Why on earth did Maggs say she’d go? She’s so stupid sometimes!’
‘Eh, eh – what’s going on in ’ere?’ Uncle Eb said, coming through from the workshop for his dinner.
‘Annie’s getting all worked up . . .’ Aunt Hatt began. She became aware of Daisy, still lurking at the side of the room. ‘You’d best run home now, dear,’ she said, in a voice that did not encourage argument.
‘I’ll tell you why I’m all worked up!’ Annie erupted, as the front door closed behind Daisy. ‘Margaret never told you the truth about what happened at home because she was – I don’t know – embarrassed. She felt badly about it when none of it was her fault in the least – but that’s Margaret for you. That man, that barbarian, Charles Barber, attacked her – tried to force himself on her in the stable behind the church. I could see something was wrong – he was . . . Anyway, I followed them and he was already . . . So I . . . I stopped him. I knocked him out.’
‘You did what?’ Uncle Eb said, looking back and forth in total bewilderment, compounded by the fact that he had not even met Charles Barber.
‘He was . . . Well, I won’t say what he was doing because it was too disgusting, but I hit him over the head . . .’
‘Annie! What with?’ Aunt Hatt asked.
‘There was a stool – heavy thing . . . I just bashed it on his head as hard as I could and he was out cold.’
‘You mean . . . ?’ Her uncle seemed torn between concern and amusement at this description. ‘You actually . . . ?’