When Christmas Bells Ring by Katie Flynn

Author:Katie Flynn
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781448185702
Publisher: Random House

Chapter Thirteen

April 1941

‘Rosheen!’

Standing in the breakfast queue, Rosheen saw her friend Cassie waving from a table for two with a bowl of lumpy porridge, a mug of weak tea and two regulation slices of toast spread out on the table before her. She waved back, even as her own bowl of porridge with the toast balanced on top was thrust into her hands by a member of the cookhouse staff.

‘There you are, chuck,’ the woman said cheerfully. ‘Get outside of that.’

Rosheen thanked her and hurried across to take her place opposite Cassie. The two girls had met again in the uniform queue at the training centre the year before. Rosheen had been looking around, hoping to see a face she recognised, when her eyes had rested on a tall, dark-haired girl she was sure she remembered from somewhere. The girl was smiling tentatively back at her and Rosheen moved down the queue to stand beside her.

‘Remind me,’ she said in a low tone. ‘I’m afraid I can’t remember your name, but the minute I set eyes on you …’

The recollection of where she had seen her came back with the suddenness of a flash of lightning as the tall girl began to speak. ‘I knew you looked familiar, though it was a long time ago. You’re the mother of those twins who got into a fight outside the bakery – you gave us all penny buns, as I recall. Isn’t it odd that we should meet again like this? I was just thinking I didn’t know a soul here, and to tell you the truth I was feeling more than a bit lost … but what about the twins? How are they? Who’s looking after them?’

Rosheen had smiled. ‘They’ve been evacuated to Wales and they’re very happy, which is my main concern.’

‘Oh, I see. My name’s Cassandra Valentine, Cassie to my pals, and you are …’

‘Rosheen Clarke, and you can’t be happier than I am to have found a friend,’ Rosheen had admitted. ‘Is it all right by you if we stick together, Cassie?’

The other girl had nodded. ‘It suits me just fine,’ she said. ‘Shake on it.’ They had shaken hands firmly and then they had reached the head of the queue and the corporal in charge had begun to talk of measurements, and shoe sizes, so the conversation was temporarily abandoned.

Now Cassie and Rosheen were on the same station working in the typing pool, and, Rosheen reflected as she spooned lumpy porridge, she had seldom been happier. Despite the difference in their ages Cassie and she had remained firm friends, though Rosheen had very soon realised that she would have to change certain things if she wished to continue to work in the offices. Carefully, hoping no one would notice, she began to imitate the way Cassie spoke, and to take care with her grammar when typing letters. It had never occurred to her that she was a mimic, but very soon people started saying that she and Cassie sounded like sisters.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.