into doing what he wanted and it was the biggest mistake he ever made.’ She paused long enough for her sister to nod, then added, ‘Now how about a cup of tea? I’m parched.’
‘Hannah will make us a cup,’ said Esther, leading the way. ‘It was quite a sacrifice sending her to thee. The girl I’ve had to put up with in her place doesn’t do half the work, and walked out this morning just because I rightfully complained about the way she hung the clean curtains – she said she’d be happier working at that new Woolworths! Young girls these days! It’s the war and this suffragette movement. It’s unsettled them.’
‘The movement was going in our day,’ murmured Sarah, entering a back room and looking about her, before sinking into an armchair.
‘Yes, but we didn’t get involved. There was too much work to do.’
‘That’s true. But it’s no different for women today.They still work hard.’ She smiled at her daughter. ‘Some have to work harder.’
‘But there’s many who are just out for a good time,’ protested Esther.
‘It’s the war,’ said Rebekah, who had knelt on a tiger rug at her mother’s feet.
Her mother nodded. ‘Thousands of women have lost the chance of marriage, and there’s thousands more who have to be father and mother to their children. Even if more women get the vote, there’s no easy cure for what ails most girls today.’
‘Let’s not talk about it,’ said Esther, sitting in the other armchair. ‘Instead tell me what hast thou been doing all those years in Ireland, and why that husband of thine wants to go to America.’
Sarah shook her head, ‘I’m not ready to talk about Ireland. You’ve no idea how the fighting—’ Her voice trailed off.
‘Thou should never have left Liverpool.’ Esther’s voice held a fierce note. ‘Adam could have accepted our ways.’
‘Don’t let’s go over that again.’ Sarah’s face stiffened. ‘Why not tell me who bought the shop? And what happened to …’
Rebekah leant back against the leg of her mother’s chair and listened to the two sisters talk. They gossiped about old times and old acquaintances, and not for the first time she wished that she had a sister to confide in. To talk to about Daniel. She let her minddrift, wondering how she could escape tomorrow.
Hannah brought tea and toasted buns. The door knocker sounded and it was Esther who went to answer it because the maid was occupied. Rebekah and her mother exchanged glances and her mother put a finger to her lips.
Rebekah could hardly prevent a smile when she heard her aunt’s disgruntled tones, ‘It’s thee! I suppose thou had best come in.’
‘You always did have a warm welcome for me, Esther,’ said Adam in a surprisingly pleasant voice. ‘You’ll be pleased to know that I won’t be staying above a day or two.’
‘Why is that?’ Esther’s dismay was obvious, ‘I haven’t said anything so terrible yet.’
‘No, but you will,’ he said grimly. ‘I’ve booked berths for us on a ship going to America.’
‘Not already,’ cried Esther. ‘Thou could have given Sarah and me some time. We’ve hardly had chance to—’
‘There’s been plenty of chances for you during the last twenty years,’ he rasped.
‘No, there wasn’t. Thou never did try to understand our way. And now—’
Rebekah got to her feet at the same time as her mother, who called, ‘Will you two please stop! My nerves can’t stand it!’
Her father came into the sitting room. There was a sullen expression on his face.
Rebekah said quickly, ‘When are we going, Papa?’
His expression lightened, ‘I can see you’re as impatient as I am to be on our way, Becky. I’m glad you’re coming round to my way of thinking.’
‘I didn’t say that, Papa,’ she murmured, ‘I only asked when we were leaving Liverpool. And how did you manage to arrange it so quickly?’
He looked towards her mother, ‘I put it down to the hand of God myself,’ he said with
‘Hannah will make us a cup,’ said Esther, leading the way. ‘It was quite a sacrifice sending her to thee. The girl I’ve had to put up with in her place doesn’t do half the work, and walked out this morning just because I rightfully complained about the way she hung the clean curtains – she said she’d be happier working at that new Woolworths! Young girls these days! It’s the war and this suffragette movement. It’s unsettled them.’
‘The movement was going in our day,’ murmured Sarah, entering a back room and looking about her, before sinking into an armchair.
‘Yes, but we didn’t get involved. There was too much work to do.’
‘That’s true. But it’s no different for women today.They still work hard.’ She smiled at her daughter. ‘Some have to work harder.’
‘But there’s many who are just out for a good time,’ protested Esther.
‘It’s the war,’ said Rebekah, who had knelt on a tiger rug at her mother’s feet.
Her mother nodded. ‘Thousands of women have lost the chance of marriage, and there’s thousands more who have to be father and mother to their children. Even if more women get the vote, there’s no easy cure for what ails most girls today.’
‘Let’s not talk about it,’ said Esther, sitting in the other armchair. ‘Instead tell me what hast thou been doing all those years in Ireland, and why that husband of thine wants to go to America.’
Sarah shook her head, ‘I’m not ready to talk about Ireland. You’ve no idea how the fighting—’ Her voice trailed off.
‘Thou should never have left Liverpool.’ Esther’s voice held a fierce note. ‘Adam could have accepted our ways.’
‘Don’t let’s go over that again.’ Sarah’s face stiffened. ‘Why not tell me who bought the shop? And what happened to …’
Rebekah leant back against the leg of her mother’s chair and listened to the two sisters talk. They gossiped about old times and old acquaintances, and not for the first time she wished that she had a sister to confide in. To talk to about Daniel. She let her minddrift, wondering how she could escape tomorrow.
Hannah brought tea and toasted buns. The door knocker sounded and it was Esther who went to answer it because the maid was occupied. Rebekah and her mother exchanged glances and her mother put a finger to her lips.
Rebekah could hardly prevent a smile when she heard her aunt’s disgruntled tones, ‘It’s thee! I suppose thou had best come in.’
‘You always did have a warm welcome for me, Esther,’ said Adam in a surprisingly pleasant voice. ‘You’ll be pleased to know that I won’t be staying above a day or two.’
‘Why is that?’ Esther’s dismay was obvious, ‘I haven’t said anything so terrible yet.’
‘No, but you will,’ he said grimly. ‘I’ve booked berths for us on a ship going to America.’
‘Not already,’ cried Esther. ‘Thou could have given Sarah and me some time. We’ve hardly had chance to—’
‘There’s been plenty of chances for you during the last twenty years,’ he rasped.
‘No, there wasn’t. Thou never did try to understand our way. And now—’
Rebekah got to her feet at the same time as her mother, who called, ‘Will you two please stop! My nerves can’t stand it!’
Her father came into the sitting room. There was a sullen expression on his face.
Rebekah said quickly, ‘When are we going, Papa?’
His expression lightened, ‘I can see you’re as impatient as I am to be on our way, Becky. I’m glad you’re coming round to my way of thinking.’
‘I didn’t say that, Papa,’ she murmured, ‘I only asked when we were leaving Liverpool. And how did you manage to arrange it so quickly?’
He looked towards her mother, ‘I put it down to the hand of God myself,’ he said with
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