by Rosie Clarke
‘A penny for them?’
Maggie spun round at the sound of his voice and smiled. She was learning to like the soft-spoken Irishman a lot. He visited her whenever he was in the area and without realising it, she had begun to look forward to those visits.
‘One of my friends from Harpers has just married her fiancé,’ she replied to his question. ‘I was just thinking I must find a present to send her…’
‘How about some French perfume?’ Mick suggested with a smile. ‘A friend of mine brought several bottles back from a visit to Paris and I bought a few from him as gifts. I’ve one for you, one for Sadie – and there’s another going spare if it would fill the bill?’
‘Mick, you’re a wonder,’ Maggie said and laughed. ‘I’m sure she will love it.’
‘Then I’ll bring them on Sunday, shall I?’
‘When we visit the farm together this weekend,’ Maggie said and nodded. ‘Yes, please. I’ll look forward to that – and thank you so much.’
Sadie had now left the service and gone to live with Marie and Maggie visited her as often as she could.
‘I’ve a pretty card or two going spare,’ he said. ‘This friend of mine buys them for the chaps and they send them home to their mothers, sisters and girlfriends.’
‘Yes, I’ve seen how pretty some of them are,’ Maggie agreed. He called whenever he had the chance and she was always pleased to spend a few minutes in his company. ‘Nothing too sentimental but pretty would be ideal.’ She tucked her arm into his as they walked to the canteen together. ‘The tea doesn’t get any better, Mick, but they’ve got some quite nice coffee in recently.’
His eyes twinkled at her. ‘Now why would that be, do you think?’
‘You didn’t!’ She poked him in the ribs and he yelled as if she’d hurt him.
‘I did, just for you,’ he replied. ‘I told you, Maggie Gibbs, ’tis a useful fellow I am.’
‘Yes, you are,’ she said and held his arm. ‘I’m glad you’re my friend, Michael O’Sullivan.’
‘And I’m truly glad to be your friend, Maggie.’ His smile warmed her.
‘I’m going home next week,’ she told him. ‘I’ve got two weeks’ leave and then I’m coming back for at least another term of six months, perhaps more.’
‘Ah, Maggie my love, ’tis music to my ears that you’ll be back,’ Mick replied and the smile he gave her made her spirts lift just that little bit more.
Maggie hugged Mick’s arm. She supposed he must be quite a few years older than she was, but he was a kind, generous man and she liked him a lot. He had come into her life when she really needed him and Maggie knew that her heart lifted each time that he visited the hospital to see her. When she got home, she would stand by Tim’s grave, lay a red rose and say her goodbyes to him, but she knew he was there in her heart and always would be. Whatever the future might bring, Tim would always be with her in spirit.
Mick was talking again, making a joke about one of his men. She knew that he was one of the first on the scene whenever there was a dangerous job to be done, Mick and his engineers, building bridges, digging tunnels and shoring them up, preparing the way for others. He made light of his work, always teasing her, telling her that the Devil himself looked after his own, in his Irish way that was so charming, making her laugh at his nonsense. Whenever he was with her, just for a few minutes, she could forget the war, forget her loss and loneliness and think of a future when she might be back at Harpers and perhaps – just perhaps – she might one day be ready to love again…
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About the Author
Rosie Clarke is a #1 bestselling saga writer whose most recent books include The Mulberry Lane series. She has written over 100 novels under different pseudonyms and is a RNA Award winner. She lives in Cambridgeshire.
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First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
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Copyright © Rosie Clarke, 2020
Cover Design by The Brewster Project
Cover Photography: Colin Thomas
The moral right of Rosie Clarke to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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 apologise for any omissions in this 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.
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Paperback ISBN 978-1-83889-130-5
Large Print ISBN 978-1-83889-812-0
Ebook ISBN 978-1-83889-132-9
Kindle ISBN 978-1-83889-131-2
Audio CD ISBN 978-1-83889-241-8
MP3 CD ISBN 978-1-83889-809-0
Digital audio download ISBN 978-1-83889-129-9
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