by Rosie James
It was time to go down and see if there was anything she could help her sister with…Alice hugged herself at the thought. Her sister! Her sister would need help because they had spent a long time upstairs and there’d be things to do, things to be getting on with in the kitchen…and they’d get it done quicker if they did it together…
She went into the bedroom and gazed out of the window for a moment. Would she ever tell anyone else about all this, she asked herself? Would she even tell Sam? And if so, how would she do it, where would she begin? Saraya, obviously, must never know, because Mr. Harris was her father…the man she loved, and would always love. The man who’d been there while she was growing up. It was pointless to reveal anything to Saraya.
So – who else needed to know this wonderful, extraordinary, mind-shattering news? Who else deserved to know it?
Well, no one at all. Sometimes, silence is golden, and that is what Alice was going to keep. Silent.
Well…maybe she would tell Sam. Next week, she would tell Sam.
For now, it was her secret. Hers alone. And she was going to hold it to her, protect it, glory in it. Lovingly, she fingered her gold anchor, over and over again…
Keep on an even keel. And never give up on your hopes and dreams…
Epilogue
2nd June 1953
On this day at 11.am Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey, the ceremony broadcast on television – unique in its time. There was huge rejoicing by the queen’s loyal subjects, here and all over the world, and although it had rained in England, street parties went on undeterred, with an undeniable feeling that the country was at the beginning of an exciting, golden era full of new hope.
Half an hour later, at exactly 11.30 am upstairs in their bedroom, Alice gave birth to William Samuel Edward Stanley, the first of her four children – there were to be two boys, and later, twin girls.
Saraya was downstairs in the kitchen preparing food for one and all. On Betty’s return – delayed somewhat owing to Cook having had a mild heart attack while away – Saraya would take up her permanent post as nanny to the children.
Although Sam was often called away to other parts of the world as the most sought-after surgeon of his generation, his base remained at the Bristol Infirmary so the house in Clifton would always be the Carmichael family home. Full of love, life, and laughter.
And the others?
Thanks to Uncle Bart, Home Farm was completely re-built and extended to allow for the ever-increasing family members living there. After Fay’s gran sadly passed away, her mother took up residence at the farm. Fay and Roger had three daughters (Mabel is on her knees thanking God every single night) and a son – who could milk a cow at the age of five. Fay and Roger spent a year away in Africa but couldn’t wait to get back home. Walter’s arthritis never got any better, but he has learnt to accept it with unusual charm and forbearance. Bless ’im, Mabel would have said.
As for Evie – whose parents have never mentioned the matter since – she occasionally goes gigging with Max and his rock and roll ensemble but is far too busy with their two daughters and a son. And Frank and Ellen’s baby-sitting duties leave them little time to bother about music – of any sort – now.
Those three wise monkeys would always stay the same – as if connected by an unbreakable thread – though now having to share each other with their respective husbands and children. Throughout the year all three families are together for regular visits to Home Farm, where all the children roam the fields together and help with the animals, and where the long table in the kitchen always groans with Mabel’s fantastic food.
One thing is certain. Alice, Fay and Eve will always be there, supporting each other and caring for each other, for the rest of their lives.
Because nothing, and no one, could ever break the unique bond that tied them together as Land Girls during Hitler’s war.
And finally, despite Alice’s busy life, she did complete her novel. It was accepted by the tenth publisher she approached, the hardback appearing bound in red, with her name in gold lettering on the spine.
At last she had come to the end of that long road ahead…
CARINA™
ISBN: 978-1-474-03541-5
The Long Road Ahead
Copyright © 2016 Rosie James
Published in Great Britain (2016)
by Carina, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
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