by Jenny Holmes
‘Fools rush in,’ Jean muttered to Kathleen and Elsie.
‘Pipe down!’ they said as one.
Excited questions poured down on Joyce’s head. Where was the ring? Had they set a date for the wedding? How long before Edgar’s next leave?
‘First Grace takes a trot down the aisle, now Joyce.’ Doreen’s voice rose above the rest. ‘Line up, line up; who’s next?’
‘Brenda, how about you?’ Kathleen cried from the far end of the table. Cutlery was rattled against the boards and a chorus set up.
‘Brenda! Brenda!’
‘Not me – not until after the war has ended. Les and I intend to look a long time before we leap.’ She laughed as she held up her hand to display the ring. ‘But don’t worry, you’ll all get an invite as soon as we name the day.’
‘Una?’ Elsie asked. ‘Has Angelo popped the question?’
Brenda stepped in with a rapid deflection. ‘Give the bloke a chance. The army has only just rounded him up and sent him to hospital, remember.’
Una gave her a grateful smile. ‘Ta, but I don’t mind,’ she said quickly. ‘I love Angelo and he loves me. That’s all that matters.’
‘Doreen, how about you?’
Brenda’s question drew new shouts from all sides.
‘Yes, Doreen!’
‘You and Donald!’
‘When’s the big day?’
‘Never,’ she replied as she took her time to stand up, stroll to the trolley then ladle porridge into a bowl. ‘I’m single and free as a bird.’
There were cries of disbelief. Brenda raised her eyebrows at Joyce and Una.
‘I am,’ Doreen insisted with the customary flick of her raven mane. ‘And what’s more, girls, this particular little bird is about to fly the Land Army nest.’
‘Wait for it!’ Brenda warned. ‘Come on, Doreen, what have you done now?’
Head held high, she carried her bowl back to her seat. ‘I’ve only gone and joined ENSA.’
‘You’ve done what?’ Jean’s incredulous question broke the stunned silence. ‘You’re leaving Fieldhead to tread the boards?’
Singing and prancing about, Doreen’s name in lights alongside Vera Lynn. Perfect! Brenda jumped up again and started to clap, inviting the others to join in. ‘Bravo!’ she cried.
‘Yes, bravo!’
‘Give our regards to our boys on the front line!’
‘ENSA. “Every Night Something Awful”!’
There was laughter and praise, high spirits all round.
‘Good for Doreen,’ Joyce said to Una and Brenda as they finished breakfast then put on their jackets and hats.
‘Yes, ENSA will suit her down to the ground,’ Una agreed.
‘Good luck to her,’ Brenda said as they went to collect their bikes from the stables and set off together down the drive. It was a fine day, the start of a new week. ‘Meanwhile, ladies, let’s roll up our sleeves. We have serious work to do.’
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If you loved Wedding Bells for Land Girls don’t miss …
The Land Girls at Christmas
‘Calling All Women!’
It’s 1941 and as the Second World War rages on, girls from all over the country are signing up to the Women’s Land Army. Renowned for their camaraderie and spirit, it is these brave women who step in to take on the gruelling farm work from the men conscripted into the armed forces.
When Yorkshire mill girl Una joins the cause, she wonders how she’ll adapt to country life. Luckily she’s quickly befriended by more experienced Land Girls Brenda and Grace. But as Christmas draws ever nearer, the girls’ resolve is tested as scandals and secrets are revealed, lovers risk being torn apart, and even patriotic loyalties are called into question …
With only a week to go until the festivities, can the strain of wartime still allow for the magic of Christmas?
Available now …
A Christmas Wish for Land Girls
Winter, 1942.
Land Girls Brenda and Una have relocated higher up the Yorkshire dales, to work on the remote hillside farms. Despite the bitter cold, there’s warmth to be found in old friends and new faces – and plans for a cosy Christmas are afoot.
But then a child evacuee goes missing in the snow, and everyone must rally round to find the boy before it’s too late.
The Land Girls fervently hope for a happy outcome … but will their wish come true this Christmas?
Available November 2018 …
About the Author
Jenny Holmes has been writing fiction since her early twenties, having had series of children’s books adapted for both the BBC and ITV.
Jenny was born and brought up in Yorkshire. After living in the Midlands and travelling widely in America, she returned to Yorkshire and brought up her two daughters with a spectacular view of the moors and a sense of belonging to the special, still undiscovered corners of the Yorkshire Dales.
One of three children brought up in Harrogate, Jenny’s links with Yorkshire stretch back through many generations via a mother who served in the Land Army during the Second World War and pharmacist and shop-worker aunts, back to a maternal grandfather who worked as a village blacksmith and pub landlord. Her great-aunts worked in Edwardian times as seamstresses, milliners and upholsterers. All told stories of life lived with little material wealth but with great spirit and independence, where a sense of community and family loyalty were fierce – sometimes uncomfortable but never to be ignored. Theirs are the voices that echo down the years, and the author’s hope is that their strength is brought back to life in many of the characters represented in these pages.
www.penguin.co.uk
Also by Jenny Holmes
The Mill Girls of Albion Lane
The Shop Girls of Chapel Street
The Midwives of Raglan Road
The Telephone Girls
The Land Girls at Christmas
and published by Corgi Books
TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS
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Transworld is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com
First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Corgi Books
an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Copyright © Jenny Holmes 2018
Cover photograph: women © Colin Thomas; background © Getty
Cover design by Richard Ogle / TW
Jenny Holmes has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologize for any omissions in th
is respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781473542341
ISBN 9780552173674
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