The Londoners by Margaret Pemberton Read Free Book Online

afternoon.
    ‘Quiet. Though I think that’s only temporary. She’d had a long and tiring journey and I reckon the nervous relief, when she realized she was actually in England, must have been
enormous. She’s here somewhere with Mum and Dad and Gran and she’s dying to meet you and make friends.’
    From behind them a piercing whistle stopped them dead in their tracks. ‘It’s Danny,’ Carrie said without turning her head. ‘With a whistle like that he could earn a
living as a railway guard!’
    The perm that had once made her hair look like a Hottentot’s had long since grown out and her hair now hung heavily and sleekly to her shoulders. As she pushed it away from her face and
turned around, Kate saw a tell-tale flush of colour in her cheeks. Wryly she acknowledged that where Carrie was concerned, Miss Helliwell’s predictions had quite obviously been a hundred per
cent accurate.
    ‘Fancy a shot at the archery?’ Danny asked, strolling towards them, Jerry and Jack Robson close behind him. ‘After all the rifle practice I’ve done this past few months I
reckon I should be able to hit the bull’s-eye easily.’
    Not overly tall but broad in the shoulders, he had an engaging grin and the kind of pleasant, frank and open face that would be boyish well into middle-age. The boyishness was enhanced by the
hint of red in his hair and the freckles that peppered his rather snub nose. Until now Kate had been mystified as to why Carrie was so taken with him but seeing him in uniform she had to admit that
the stripes on his shoulders did give him a certain allure. Or perhaps, she thought reflectively as Carrie teased him about being so confident of his chances, it wasn’t the stripes but the
self-assurance they had given him that was attractive.
    ‘Archery?’ Jack Robson asked as he and his brother joined them. ‘Where the hell did the vicar get the idea for archery from? Lambeth Palace?’
    Unlike Danny, there was nothing remotely homely about the Robson boys. Tall and hard-muscled, with thick shocks of unruly dark hair, they both possessed a reckless ‘damn-your-eyes’
quality that indicated they would be ugly customers in a fight and that they wouldn’t need much excuse to join in any fight that was going.
    ‘Archery is a very old and well-respected sport,’ Carrie said to him pertly. ‘It isn’t just for nobs. It was the bowmen of England that won the Battle of Agincourt for
King Henry.’
    ‘Well, isn’t that nice to know?’ Jack said affably, not remotely impressed by her show of knowledge. ‘And leaving Henry out of it and talking about this afternoon, what
prizes are being given for scoring bull’s-eyes?’
    ‘Knowing the vicar, it’ll be teddy bears,’ Jerry said glumly.
    Kate giggled. Though the Robson boys had a reputation for being rough and ready they were also amusing company and she secretly had a soft spot for Jerry, whose swagger was marginally less
blatant than his brother’s. He said to her now: ‘Have we to go over to the archery then? I don’t want to hang around here. I might be asked to judge the Bonny Baby
Competition!’
    They all burst out laughing and Kate saw Danny take hold of Carrie’s hand and tuck it proprietorially into the crook of his arm. ‘I think your mum and dad are over at the archery
ground,’ he said to her. ‘Shall we go?’
    Carrie nodded, the sun glinting on the tortoiseshell combs holding her hair away from her face, the glow on her face radiant.
    Kate felt her throat tighten. Carrie really
was
in love with Danny. A pang of wistfulness assailed her. She, too, would have liked to be in love, or at least to be on the verge of being
in love. Certain that she was far from being so and with Jerry at her side, she followed Jack and Danny and Carrie to the far side of the fête where the archery target had been set up.
    ‘This is the last time you’ll be seeing me for a while,’ Jerry said laconically, his hands deep in his trouser pockets.