He moved then and did as she’d told him. The water level immediately began to rise, the lock to fill up. He swaggered about again, confidence restored, shouting to the beer-swilling youth at the tiller. The blonde had lain down and the other girl’s head had disappeared back into the cabin. Presently he passed by her again and paused.
‘How come you knew about that?’
‘I worked on the old narrowboats during the Second World War.’
‘Oh, yeah?’
‘Women were recruited to help out, carrying essential supplies on the canals – coal, steel, cement, timber – all that sort of thing. Three of us to a pair of boats.’ She smiled at him, though he didn’t deserve it. ‘They called us Idle Women because of our badges. IW standing for Inland Waterways, you see. Actually, we were anything but idle; it was really very hard work.’
He stared at her, and she could see that he didn’t believe a word of it. Well, she couldn’t really blame him.
‘Never heard of them,’ he said.
THE END
About the Author
Margaret Mayhew was born in London and her earliest childhood memories were of the London Blitz. She began writing in her mid-thirties and had her first novel published in 1976. She is married to American aviation author, Philip Kaplan, and lives in Gloucestershire. Her previous novels, Bluebirds, The Crew, The Little Ship, Our Yanks, The Pathfinder, Those in Peril and I’ll Be Seeing You are also published by Corgi.
www.booksattransworld.co.uk
Also by Margaret Mayhew
BLUEBIRDS
THE CREW
THE LITTLE SHIP
OUR YANKS
THE PATHFINDER
THOSE IN PERIL
I’LL BE SEEING YOU
and published by Corgi Books
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Epub ISBN: 9781409083856
Version 1.0
www.randomhouse.co.uk
THE BOAT GIRLS
A CORGI BOOK : 9780552154918
First publication in Great Britain
PRINTING HISTORY
Corgi edition published 2007
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Copyright © Margaret Mayhew 2007
The right of Margaret Mayhew to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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The Boat Girls Page 29