Softly Grow the Poppies by Audrey Howard

Author:Audrey Howard
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9781444755954
Publisher: Hachette UK
Published: 2012-08-15T23:00:00+00:00

13

Jinny Herbert was horrified to see two-year-old Will Summers accompany her two sons into the yard, the small boy tagging along with Alfie who was always in trouble. What the dickens was the lad doing so far from home and what was his mam, or at least Miss Rose, doing to allow the boy out of the garden at Beechworth which was where he seemed to spend most of his time?

She dropped her rolling pin on to the table where she had just finished shaping out the fatty cake and ran into the yard. There were, besides the boy, three dogs who began to chase her chickens which had been clucking and muttering to one another in the yard, and with an earsplitting shriek she rushed towards her sons.

‘What the ’ell’s goin’ on ’ere? What the devil d’yer think yer doin’ wi’ Master Will?’ turning on Will who cowered behind the fragile protection of Alfie’s back. ‘And you,’ glaring at Will, ‘where d’yer think you’re off to? What’s yer mam thinkin’ of, letting you wander about at your age? An’ them damn dogs’d better leave my chickens alone or I’ll ’ave them shot. John,’ addressing her eldest, ‘get down off that bloody ’orse and sort this lot out. See, get ’old of the bairn’s ’and an’ ’tekk ’im back ter Beechworth. Nay, don’t you dare argue wi’ me,’ as John began to protest that it was not him but Alfie who had fetched the kid to the farm. ‘Now get ’old of ’is ’and and tekk ’im ’ome.’

‘Mam, ’e were ’angin’ about in’t lane wi’ them dogs an’ the dogs jumped up at Misty and our Alfie fell off an—’

‘Never you mind. Get ’old of ’is ’and.’

But Will, used to having his own way, did not want to have his hand taken nor did he want to go home. He and Alfie were friends now and he wanted to stay and play with his new friend and he said so vociferously, but as he was still having some difficulty with longer words he could not make this woman who was so cross understand this so he stamped his foot and when Mrs Herbert advanced towards him he ran away. The gate was still open so he darted through, much to the amusement of the Herbert boys who knew that their mother always won in the end. She’d tan his bottom when she caught him, whether he was from the big house or not, for Mam liked her own way an’ all.

The spoiled, precocious son of Alice and Charlie Summers was caught by the outraged Mrs Herbert and she carried him, struggling fiercely, under her arm through the gate that led into the lane, across the field, into the lane that skirted Beechworth and up through the vegetable garden to the back door of the house. It stood open, for Miss Rose was just getting up a search party for the little boy, and the men, even some of the walking wounded, were all milling about waiting to be told where they should start.

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