Jenny turned to grasp Ronald’s arm. He was out of reach for the moment, waving and calling farewells for one last time.
‘Ronald!’ called Jenny.
‘Just a moment, my love.’ He moved farther off, to lean over the rail at the point still nearest the land. ‘Keep after that joiner making the woolpress for Giddiring!’
On the pier Chalmers held up palms helplessly, signifying he couldn’t understand.
‘Giddiring! Woolpress!’
Chalmers pantomimed non-comprehension. Ronald went as far aft as he could, cupped his mouth, and shouted his last instructions. It was useless to try for his attention elsewhere.
Perhaps that was as well. Perhaps it was better that he shouldn’t know.
Dinah had not wanted him to know. She had made that clear by disappearing from the Fowlers’ sheep station.
Jenny understood her feelings. What good would it do? To reproach him, berate him, demand something from him ‒ and what? What could he give?
He certainly couldn’t give his name to the coming child. He could have offered money, of course, but Jenny knew in her heart that Dinah would have thrown it back in his face. She herself, in making her arrangement with Chalmers, had tried to do it so that if it was needed the money could be made to seem impersonal, brought from a bank, from some businesslike fund.
She stood holding her cloak about her, racked by indecision. Should she fetch Ronald, point the girl out to him, tell him what she had seen?
Heather ran up from the far side of the ship. ‘I nearly didn’t see us leave!’ she panted. ‘I was talking to the sheep.’
She was hatless, her bonnet having fallen off while she leaned over the sheep pen. Her honey-coloured hair was beginning to be darkened by the rain but even so, it suddenly occurred to Jenny, she must be clearly recognisable to the girl on the jetty. Recognisable as Ronald’s daughter.
Jenny looked towards her. She was just in time to see her staring at mother and daughter before she turned away in angry despair.
‘Mama, they’ve got some lovely little rabbits in hutches. Mr Gatton says I can take them out and hold them sometimes.’
‘That’s wonderful, Heather.’ She put a fold of her cloak round the child to keep the rain off. ‘Look,’ she said, ‘it’s all fading out of sight in the cloud and rain. Say goodbye to Sydney, dear.’
Obediently the little girl waved her hand in the direction of the harbour. But already her mind was losing the picture of Goodie and the rides on the Fowlers’ station, the travels on the strange little train to Parramatta, the room at the hotel she had shared with Baird. She was thinking of the voyage, the livestock who would become her new friends, walks on shore in strange ports where there were strange animals such as camels and elephants, lessons in the saloon with other young travellers, perhaps a party soon for her birthday.
The jetty dwindled and was lost in the rainstorm. Sydney was gone, blotted out by the downpour. On either side the shores were only intermittently visible as the wind drove the squall.
The ship sounded its siren in farewell.
Goodbye to this strange wild country, to all that had happened here. It was behind them now, Jenny told herself. Even this great secret which she had been allowed to learn by chance ‒ it was behind them.
She would say nothing to Ronald. What good could it do to tell him? Yet more guilt to bear as a burden … And he had enough already, for she knew he would never forgive himself for the affair with Dinah. If he had loved her deeply ‒ if it had been born of something more than proximity and restlessness ‒ that would have been different. But she recalled his embarrassment when he tried to describe how he felt about Dinah.
And it might come between them in their new life. She had tried by every means to show him she forgave him his unfaithfulness, understood how and why it had happened. If she were to say to him now, ‘Dinah is having your baby,’ she might find it hard to add, ‘and I forgive you that too.’
Worse, it would shatter him. To fall momentarily in love with a beautiful farm girl who soon proved boring was one thing. To leave her with a baby coming was quite another. He would see himself as a scoundrel. Which would be unfair, because once Jenny came on the scene Dinah with her strong religious principles had felt so much in the wrong that she herself gave him up.
It would harm their day-to-day relationship as husband and wife if she had to tell him what she had learned. Especially here in the crowded confines of a ship. No, no! If she were ever to tell him Dinah’s secret it would be once they were home, safe in the workaday wonders of making fine cloth, busy and confident in their natural surroundings.
But it would be better to say nothing, ever. It was not her secret to tell, it was Dinah’s. Perhaps she would write when the baby was born. Perhaps she would preserve her silence. Whichever she chose, Jenny vowed to herself, I will abide by that decision.
She sighed. She had looked forward so much to this home-going. For weeks in her mind’s eye she had had the picture of the hills around her home-town ‒ the rich green of pasture, the coming purple of the heather, the cool pale blue of the sky, the sparkling brown of the water in the hillside burns. But now it was all blotted out by her memory of that lonely figure on the wool stacks.
Ahead lay the ocean, the long voyage round the world to the life where she and Ronald belonged. On that journey she must come to terms with what she now knew, make it part of the fabric of the past. It was an unhappiness, but unhappiness and joy go together through human existence, she had learned ‒ twining and interweaving, first one taking priority and then the other.
She must pick up the threads of their life again, mend those that had been broken, strengthen and protect those that carried joy. They were the threads that led into the future.
***
The Corvill Family Saga concludes in the third book of the trilogy, The Final Pattern, available as an ebook from Amazon.
Read The Final Pattern by Tessa Barclay from Amazon UK
Read The Final Pattern by Tessa Barclay from Amazon.com
Read The Final Pattern by Tessa Barclay from Amazon AUS
Wyndham Books: Timeless bestsellers for today’s readers
Wyndham Books publishes the first ebook editions of bestselling works by some of the most popular authors of the twentieth century. Enjoy our Historical, Family Saga, Regency, Romance and Medical fiction and non-fiction.
Join our free mailing list for news, exclusives and special deals:
www.wyndhambooks.com
Promises by Catherine Gaskin
The gripping story of a remarkable woman and the promises she must keep to those she loves.
A sweeping family saga, from the grand homes of Yorkshire and London in the Edwardian era, to the heartbreak of a French nursing station during World War I, and the glamour of American high society in the 1920s.
Lally Leeds is just a baby when wealthy Black Jack Pollock finds her abandoned in a Yorkshire street and decides to raise her alongside his own children. As Lally blossoms into a young woman, the love and loyalty she feels towards her adoptive family bring her both happiness and heartache.
Over time, it is Lally’s strength and devotion which hold the Pollock family together: her dashing brother, Jon; her selfish and self-destructive sister Margaret; and fragile Alice, who must been protected from herself. And the family’s fortunes become entwined with those of another foundling ‒ the mysterious, self-made businessman Brock Weymouth. Lally discovers to her cost that sometimes the most difficult promises to keep are to those we love.
Read Promises by Catherine Gaskin now from Amazon UK
Read Promises by Catherine Gaskin now from Amazon.com
Read Promises by Catherine Gaskin now from Amazon AUS
Wonder Cruise by Ursula Bloom
A witty, heartwarming read with great romantic and comic characters. This warm, feel-good tale will make you smile, and you’ll be rooting for Ann to find lasting love and happiness. A moving portrait of an unforgettabl
e 1930’s woman; Ann Clements will stay with you long after the last page.
Ann Clements is thirty-five and single, and believes nothing exciting will ever happen to her. Then, she wins a large sum of money in a sweepstake and suddenly can dare to dream of a more adventurous life. She buys a ticket for a Mediterranean cruise, against the wishes of her stern brother, the Rev. Cuthbert, who has other ideas about how she should spend her windfall. Anne steps out of the shadows of her mundane life into the heat of the Mediterranean sun. Travelling to Gibraltar, Marseilles, Naples, Malta and Venice, Anne’s eyes are opened to people and experiences far removed from her sheltered existence in the offices at Henrietta Street, and Mrs. Puddock’s lodging house. As Anne blossoms, discovering love and passion for the very first time, the biggest question is, can there be any going back?
‘Brightly told and very readable.’ Woman’s Journal
‘… with every book she adds something to her reputation … related with all Miss Bloom’s liveliness and easy skill.’ Daily Telegraph
‘Ursula Bloom writes in a delightful way, with a deep understanding of human nature and a quick eye for the humorous things in life. Wonder Cruise … is one of the most entertaining novels we have read for a long time.’ Cambridge Daily News
‘Vividly entrancing.’ Scotsman
‘She has always been able to tell a story … Miss Bloom is to be heartily congratulated.’ Everyman
Now available as an ebook on Amazon.
Read Wonder Cruise by Ursula Bloom now from Amazon UK
Read Wonder Cruise by Ursula Bloom now from Amazon.com
Read Wonder Cruise by Ursula Bloom now from Amazon AUS
Hardacre by CL Skelton
Hardacre is the sweeping rags to riches story of the Hardacre family. This dramatic family saga follows generations of the Hardacres from Victorian times to the 1950s. Set against the backdrop of major historical events, Hardacre traces the family’s humble beginnings to their position of great wealth.
Sam Hardacre makes a tough yet honest living as a fish gutter. But he has ambitions for a life far removed from the harsh existence on the quays of the north English coast. Through drive and determination he builds a business empire and amasses a fortune. His wife, Mary, once a poor street urchin, must learn to adapt to her new role as mistress of a grand house in Yorkshire.
Sam’s sons, Joe and Harry, inherit some but not all of their father’s qualities. Their opposing personalities lead them to make very different choices about their futures. Meanwhile, their younger sister, Jane, is born into a life of privilege and has no experience of her family’s early struggles.
The three siblings and their offspring will know love, hate, passion and tragedy, as they live through the dramatic events of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The lives of the Hardacres are shaped by the extraordinary events of the Boer War, the Great War, the Wall Street Crash, the Second World War, Hitler’s Germany and the London Blitz.
Hardacre is a gripping page-turner; a tale of ambition, fate and family ties.
Praise for the bestselling Hardacre:
‘History comes alive … innocents, rascals and middling humans ‒ an authentic bunch to set against tempestuous times.’ Publishers Weekly
‘This skilfully written, always entertaining family saga … rich in plot, pace and character … polished storytelling.’ Newsagent and Bookshop
‘The best family saga since Penmarric.’ Manchester Evening News
For fans of rich and dramatic family sagas from the Forsyte Saga to Downton Abbey.
Read Hardacre by C. L. Skelton now from Amazon UK
Read Hardacre by C. L. Skelton now from Amazon.com
Read Hardacre by C. L. Skelton now from Amazon AUS
A Shaft of Light by John Finch
The poignant story of four young people growing up during the beginning of the Second World War.
Life in a Yorkshire mining village is tough, as families struggle to survive the harsh deprivations of working class life, and to keep hope, spirit and dignity alive.
Denis and Ted are best friends, but in some ways their lives are world’s apart. Shopkeeper’s son Denis questions what the future may hold for him. The advent of war shows him the possibilities of a life far from all he knows. Yet Ted, from the poorest part of the village, dreams only of becoming a man and starting to work down the pit, like his father before him. Both boys are drawn to Jean, a bold, spirited young woman from their village, but only one of them can win her heart.
The four youngsters face the challenges and responsibilities of growing up, as they experience love, death and desire, and the consequences which will change their lives forever.
From the acclaimed creator and writer of the classic television family sagas A Family at War and Sam, and former Coronation Street scriptwriter, John Finch. Previously published as Cuddon Return.
Read A Shaft of Light by John Finch now from Amazon UK
Read A Shaft of Light by John Finch now from Amazon.com
Read A Shaft of Light by John Finch now from Amazon AUS
Wyndham Books: Timeless bestsellers for today’s readers
Wyndham Books publishes the first ebook editions of bestselling works by some of the most popular authors of the twentieth century. Enjoy our Historical, Family Saga, Regency, Romance and Medical fiction and non-fiction.
Join our free mailing list for news, exclusives and special deals:
www.wyndhambooks.com
Broken Threads Page 36