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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

Never had Annie felt so small and foolish and out of place. She was used to people deferring to her, as the minister’s daughter. But here no one cared who she was. And she was frightened of Hilda, of the crowd of others behind her. What might they do to her if she didn’t obey? She would surely lose her job one way or another. This first, humbling test faced her.

‘I honestly didn’t know,’ she said, looking down at her black shoes. Her face stung with blushes. ‘I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.’

‘You’d better not.’ Hilda backed off, hands placed self-righteously on hips. Annie managed to look up at her. ‘You never worked in a factory before, then? Don’t sound as if you come from round ’ere.’

Annie shook her head. ‘I’m from the country.’ She could see it would be a very bad idea to tell them anything else about herself. As for any ideas about preaching to them . . . She was starting to realize that she might be the one with a thing or two to learn.

‘Well,’ Hilda said, a sneer in her voice, ‘you ain’t in the country now with a load o’ cows and sheep.’ There were sniggers from some of the others. ‘So – got that straight?’

‘Yes,’ Annie said, looking down again to hide how close to tears she was.

Everyone faded away, in a hurry for their break.

‘I was going to tell you,’ Lizzie said as they walked out. ‘I knew they’d be on to yer for working so fast. But it don’t seem fair if no one’d told yer . . .’

‘Thanks,’ Annie said, swallowing hard. She felt very foolish. ‘That’s nice of you.’ She could see Lizzie meant to be kind and Annie wanted to change the subject. ‘How old are you, Lizzie?’ she asked as they passed along the corridor.

‘Fourteen,’ Lizzie said. Annie was surprised. Although small, the girl seemed older.

‘So why do they all know you?’

‘Oh, they don’t – not really,’ Lizzie said. ‘My mother worked here for a bit, that’s all. Some of them know her.’ She hesitated as they reached the doors and Annie could see she wanted to get away.

‘Thank you for helping me, Lizzie,’ she said.

Lizzie smiled faintly, but she already seemed to have other things on her mind as she hurried away.

Sixteen

Sixteen

Margaret walked out of number twenty-six Chain Street the next Monday afternoon, smiling to herself.

Before setting out, she had been helping Aunt Hatt in the house. Sometimes she had to go into the workshop at the back to give a message to her uncle. She loved the busy atmosphere in there, the banging and crashing, the glimpses of bright gems or of something shining and beautiful emerging in its mantle of gold from beneath the muck of dull, workaday metal.