Daughters Of Stonedale – Jenny Holmes

‘I’ve got butterflies in my stomach,’ she confessed. She’d attended lectures alongside a doctor’s daughter from Ilkley and the sister of a wealthy farmer from the Vale of York, both of whom had applied to be sent overseas to Mesopotamia or the Dardanelles. ‘I’m still not sure that I’ll get along with the other nurses at Grantley.’ Bernard was having none of it. ‘Those other lasses won’t be a patch on you,’ he predicted. ‘They don’t know what hard work is, not with servants running after them all their lives.

You go up there and show them how it’s done.’ ‘Thanks, Dad.’ Mary kissed the top of his head. ‘I have to dash – Dr Morrell is giving me a lift.’ She made her way to the surgery at the end of Cranston Terrace, where she was greeted by the hooting of a car horn. ‘Hop in.’ Philip leaned over to open the passenger door. ‘All set?

Then off we go.’ They sped along the lanes exchanging small talk. Philip had joined the Stonebeck cricket team; Mary had seen Harry at the weekend – they’d cycled to Ingle Cove and eaten a picnic by the waterfall. ‘I don’t like the look of those.’ Philip had chosen to drive with the top down but now he pointed to ominous clouds gathering in the west.

‘Let’s hope we reach Grantley before it rains.’ They arrived as cold drops started to fall. For once the dogs didn’t bark; in fact, the main house seemed deserted. The doors and windows were shut tight and the curtains drawn; there was no sign of life. Mary had no time to wonder about this as Philip led the way into the hospital, where she was greeted by Dorothy in full sail. ‘Ah, Nurse Cooper – welcome. Nurse Stanley is in the linen store, third door on the right,’ she reminded Mary.

‘Please join her there.’ Third door on the right – Mary tapped tentatively. ‘No need to knock,’ Connie called. ‘Come in, for heaven’s sake, and help me count these dratted sheets and pillowcases.’

Jenny Holmes was born in Harrogate and lives in Ilkley, the gateway to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, and sets her sagas in her beloved home county. She enjoys playing tennis, being around horses and walking her dog by the river. She also writes children’s books as Jenny Oldfield. Find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JennyHolmesAuthor OceanofPDF.com Also by Jenny Holmes The Mill Girls of Albion Lane The Shop Girls of Chapel Street The Midwives of Raglan Road The Telephone Girls The Land Girls The Land Girls at Christmas Wedding Bells for Land Girls A Christmas Wish for the Land Girls The Spitfire Girls The Spitfire Girls The Spitfire Girls Fly for Victory Christmas with the Spitfire Girls The Air Raid Girls The Air Raid Girls The Air Raid Girls at Christmas The Air Raid Girls: Wartime Brides The Ballroom Girls The Ballroom Girls The Ballroom Girls: Christmas Dreams The Ballroom Girls Hit the Big Time and published by Penguin OceanofPDF.com Jenny Holmes DAUGHTERS OF STONEDALE OceanofPDF.com For Caroline Sheldon, my longtime agent.

Much more than that; a very dear friend. OceanofPDF.com CHAPTER ONE May 1915 ‘When?’ Mary Cooper asked over the clatter of a hundred looms. ‘Today – after work.’ Harry Dalton mouthed his reply. ‘Where shall we go?’ ‘To Darley Glen, or anywhere you fancy.’ Lip-reading his answer amid the racket of the cavernous weaving shed, Mary smiled and nodded. An early-evening walk in the countryside was just what the doctor ordered. Today was the first Saturday in May. There would be blossom and bluebells and some warmth in the sun after one of the longest, gloomiest winters she could recall.

Satisfied by her answer, Harry strode off towards the shed where he worked as a wool sorter and scourer and she returned to her task of searching for minute flaws in the lengths of khaki cloth produced by Stonedale Mill – delicate but back-breaking work that involved bending forward to examine every inch of the fabric at close quarters, feeling for small knots in the weft and warp then marking each flaw with a piece of chalk.

After this she would lift out the knot with the hook of her burler tool then snip through the offending thread, ready to sew the ends back in. Shortly afterwards there was a second interruption. ‘What did Harry want?’ It was Mary’s father, standing at her shoulder, hands clasped behind his back and wearing a stern expression.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 0fc6df53a8b30325
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 3,067,474 bytes (2.925 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 272
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 488.33 minutes
• Total Words: 97,667
• Total Characters: 542,125
• Average Words per Page: 359.07
• Average Characters per Page: 1993.11

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