Reach for Tomorrow by Rita Bradshaw

Author:Rita Bradshaw [Bradshaw, Rita]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Historical, Sagas
ISBN: 9780755375844
Publisher: Hachette UK
Published: 2010-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

And now it was their first Sunday at number seventeen, The Terrace, and the bright August sunshine and mild warm breeze furthered Rosie’s sense of wellbeing as she prepared the vegetables for lunch in the big stone-flagged kitchen at the back of the house. Zachariah had thought of everything when he had had the house furnished, she thought tenderly. From the lovely carpet and rich three-piece suite in the sitting room, right down to mundane essentials like the shining set of kitchen knives in the well-equipped cupboards in the kitchen.

She was lucky, she was so, so lucky, and not because of this house and her sudden newfound wealth either. No, it was Zachariah she was thankful for. What other man would have been happy for her to continue working when they were married? Not one, not one she knew of, especially if he was as well set up as Zachariah was. The men round here would have expected their wife to be at their beck and call, there would have been no question of their spouse working outside the home unless dire necessity commanded it. But Zachariah knew how much she loved her job and that it would have sent her mad to sit around and twiddle her thumbs all day.

And of course it helped that he had his own interests and outlets, begun years before he’d met her. He was a stout member of the Hendon working men’s club, and she knew his financial contribution and time spent organizing the club’s various activities were generous, but his main concern - the Maritime Almshouses in Bishopswearmouth which stood between Crowtree Road and Maritime Place - was a responsibility he took very seriously.

As the name suggested the almshouses were intended for the care of the widows and unmarried daughters of master mariners, and with Sunderland’s high proportion of seamen the problem was not a small one. The almshouses had been built in 1820, but by the beginning of the twentieth century they were providing relief for an average of three hundred widows and eight hundred children.

Zachariah spent several half days a week at the grim line of terraced dwellings which were enclosed by a high wall and approached through an arched gate, and, as chairman of the board, had fought to raise living conditions for those the almshouses were supporting, and create a sense of purpose and encourage initiative for those inmates attempting to better themselves.

He was a good man, such a good man, and she loved him so much. She wanted everyone to be as happy as she was; Flora for instance. Rosie’s smile dimmed and her hands became still. She had sent a note inviting Flora and Peter to lunch but had heard nothing. Her mother and Hannah and Joseph were coming, along with Sally and Mick, but it wouldn’t be the same without Flora, not for her at least. She had thought of asking Mr and Mrs McLinnie but her mother had told her Annie was ill in bed with influenza and so she hadn’t bothered.

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