The Orphans of Ardwick Page 36
Her heart fluttered and jumped but her excitement was tinged with sadness. ‘Nowt’s changed really, lad. Aye, I’ve a room and bed of my own now instead of Josephine’s dressing-room floor, but don’t I still sit with you all in the kitchen as I’ve allus done? I ain’t a Goldthorpe in my ways and never shall be, for I’ve never known it. I’m just Pip. The same one you’ve allus known. I like being me.’
Simon nodded, smiled. ‘Aye. I like that Pip, an’ all.’
She smiled back then glanced behind them as the door opened.
Without a word, Mack shimmied between them and planted his thumb in his mouth. They shared a contented, completed look over his head.
‘All right, Bread?’ asked Simon.
‘Aye.’
‘What?’ the older lad added to Pip when she shook her head, grinning.
‘You’ll never let that bloomin’ name die, will yer?’
Taking out his thumb, Mack cut through their chuckles. ‘I like it.’
‘You like being called Bread?’
‘Aye.’
‘D’you know, no one’s ever asked your opinion on it, have they?’ She shrugged. ‘All right, then. Bread it is, Simon!’
When their laughter had died away, they sat and watched the patches of scudding clouds. This time, they saw far more than cats and horses dancing jigs, and fish sporting top hats.
They saw a future. Here, at Bracken House.
Their home.
About the Author
Emma Hornby is the author of A Shilling for a Wife and Manchester Moll. Before pursuing a writing career, she had a variety of jobs, from care assistant for the elderly to working in a Blackpool rock factory.
She was inspired to write because of her lifelong love of sagas and after researching her family history; like the characters in her books, many generations of her family eked out life amidst the squalor and poverty of Lancashire’s slums.
Emma lives on a tight-knit working-class estate in Bolton with her family.
Discover more about Emma and her books at her website: emmahornby.com
Also by Emma Hornby
A SHILLING FOR A WIFE
MANCHESTER MOLL
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First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Bantam Press
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