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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

Susan was a little in awe of Margaret as the niece of her employer, even though she was a few years older than Margaret. She busied herself with letters. Though she was pleasant enough, Susan was suffering from a heavy cold that day and it was Bridget, the packer, who Margaret found to be the friendlier of the two. Bridget was only two years older than herself.

Margaret had to sit sideways at the desk as there was nowhere for her knees to go and this was not very comfortable, but she was glad to have been given a job to do and to feel a useful part of the place. They all sat together that afternoon as the rain fell outside, her aunt in front of her with the account books. Aunt Hatt oversaw orders and accounts and her work was never-ending.

Even though it was summer, by four in the afternoon the light had faded in the room so that they could barely see what they were about.

‘Right,’ Aunt Hatt said, as the hands of the clock on the wall reached the hour. ‘Tea. Mrs Sullivan’ll be in any moment. And when we’ve finished, we’ll have to light the gas. We have a little break every afternoon,’ she informed Margaret.

Sure enough, within moments Mrs Sullivan made an appearance in her apron bearing a tray with a large pot of tea and a plate of buttered toast; Bridget cleared a space for her to lay it on the bench by the window.

‘The others brew theirs up in the works,’ Aunt Hatt said as Susan poured the tea. ‘Eb stays out there for his.’

It was a nice little interlude, Margaret found. Ten to fifteen minutes in which they all sat round and relaxed and chatted. Aunt Hatt asked Bridget about her sister’s forthcoming wedding and Susan said her father was better, yes, thank you. Margaret was glad they did not ask her any questions and she sat smiling and listening eagerly.

Soon the dregs were cooling in the cups and they were back to work again – this time with the mantles lit and hissing away, one in the middle of the room and two on the wall, and the room felt cosy and companionable. Bridget packed little boxes and rustled paper; Aunt Hatt’s pen filled pages with ornately slanting blue writing and figures and Susan sniffed intermittently.