by Anne Bennett
Katie suddenly stirred in Jimmy’s arms, pulling herself from his tight embrace, and said accusingly to her mother, ‘You didn’t say nothing about two granddads.’
‘I didn’t know either,’ Bridie said. ‘Aren’t you the lucky girl?’
‘Have I two grandmas too?’
‘You have,’ Sean answered the child. ‘And they are both up at the house this minute waiting for you, along with your cousins Jay and young Mickey.’
‘Maybe we’d better go then,’ Kate said and she wriggled in her granddad’s arms and Jimmy laughed as he set the petite child on her feet. ‘If you’re half as good as your mother, you’ll do well enough,’ he said. ‘And now will you do an important job for me,’ and at her eager nod, he placed the torch in her hand. ‘You light our way up the field,’ he said, ‘while we carry up these bags.’
Then Jimmy turned and embraced first Bridie and then Rosalyn. ‘You’re a treat for sore eyes,’ he said. ‘The pair of you. Now let’s be away before we stick to the ground, the night’s cold enough so.’
‘Wait a moment,’ Bridie said, and she approached Sean and gently placed Liam in the man’s arms. ‘He is heavy,’ she said. ‘Will you carry him for me?’
The man didn’t have to speak, the smile that lit up his whole face spoke for him, and they were off, following Katie’s wavering torch. Sean Cassidy after her, his grandson in his arms, and then Jimmy, laden with bags.
Bringing up the rear were the two cousins and friends and whatever distance they were from each other now, Bridie knew it didn’t matter; they’d always keep in touch. Between them they gathered up the rest of the packages and made their way towards the house over grass crunchy with frost and Bridie felt as if her heart was as light as air.
She thought of the letter to Tom she’d almost finished writing. She’d told him the children were being released from hospital, not the whole story yet, and she’d left the letter open in order to describe the way the children took to the journey and the welcome waiting for them at the farmhouse.
What a wonderful postscript she could now add, she thought. She knew Tom had often felt guilty about his parents, knowing they’d given up a lot for him to train in the seminary, and his doting sisters taking up the jobs on the farm that should have been his duty, and all without a word of complaint.
He’d not said any of this to Bridie, but she knew Tom so well there were things he didn’t have to say. She could visualise his reaction when she told him who was waiting for her to alight from the rail bus.
If it wasn’t for the shadow of war looming over their lives, then it would be perfect, Bridie thought, but as it was, they had to make the best of what they had and hope for a better future. As she turned the corner of the farmhouse, she felt her heart skip with joy. It was good to be finally home.
Acknowledgements
I have many people to thank for making this book possible. First of all, there are my husband Denis, daughters Nikki, Bethany and Tamsin and son Simon, who are always supportive, and a special thanks to Simon for designing my website. My daughter-in-law Carol, son-in-law Steve and mother-in-law Nancy are encouraging too, and Nancy also helps me with the memories she has of the times I am writing about.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my special friends Ruth Adshead, Judith Kendall and Judy Westwood for their immeasurable support, and my agent Judith Murdoch, editorial director Susan Opie and editor Maxine Hitchcock for their belief in me. I really appreciate their help, advice and constructive criticism.
Thanks must also go to Ann Temple of the Railway Restoration Society based in Donegal Town, whose help was invaluable, and to Carl Chinn in Birmingham. I really would find it difficult to write as accurately as I do without the marvellous books he writes of old Birmingham. Immense gratitude to you all.
About the Author
Anne Bennett was born in a back-to-back house in the Horsefair district of Birmingham. The daughter of Roman Catholic, Irish immigrants, she grew up in a tight-knit community where she was taught to be proud of her heritage. She considers herself to be an Irish Brummie and feels therefore that she has a foot in both cultures. She has four children – three daughters and a son – and four grandchildren. For many years she taught in schools to the north of Birmingham.
An accident put paid to her teaching career and after moving to North Wales, Anne turned to the other great love of her life and began to write seriously. Till the Sun Shines Through is her sixth book.
Also by the Author
A Little Learning
Love Me Tender
A Strong Hand to Hold
Pack Up Your Troubles
Walking Back to Happiness
Copyright
HarperFiction
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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2003
Copyright © Anne Bennett 2003
Anne Bennett asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Source ISBN: 9780007139828
Ebook Edition © JUNE 2013 ISBN: 9780007534685
Version: 2013–07–12
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