Annie's Promise Read Online Free PDF Page A

see, my love, we can still start the business, but in a different way that won’t depend on capital. We’ll work from home, extend our list of customers, then set up homeworkers as the business expands, always ploughing profits back in, taking just enough to live on and making sure we build up a capital reserve as we go along. That way we can set up premises eventually.’ He was listening to her, nodding, and she drew on her cigarette then continued. ‘It will take longer but there’s a market for our stuff – we know that. It can be done, should be done, for the sake of us all, for Wassingham. They need our sort of industry. We mustn’t let this hiccup crush us.’
    ‘Sounds good in theory, my love,’ he said, flicking his ash out of the window, catching her eye as he did so. ‘Good for the roses, they like a bit of potash.’
    She laughed and was surprised – she’d thought that today she would not hear that sound.
    ‘But there’s no way we can both do it. I’ll keep on looking for work, you do all this,’ Georgie said.
    ‘No, that’s the point. I can’t, not any more.’ Annie stubbed her cigarette, squashing and grinding it until there were only shreds. ‘You wouldn’t have made that mistake. You wouldn’t have signed. You’ve got to take it over. The army trained you to take control.’
    Georgie was laughing now. ‘Oh yes, I’ll cut out, shall I, or sew on flowers? Give me a break, Annie, you’re being daft. Of course you can do it.’
    Annie shook her head, she knew she couldn’t, she knew she’d been ridiculous to think she could. Oh yes, she could cut out, sew, come up with ideas, but manage – forget it, Don had shown her that.
    ‘I rang Don first thing, he’s buying the house.’
    Annie paused, rubbed the table, it was still damp. ‘I alsorang the local hospital. I worked there in the holidays while I was at school. They’re taking me – I’m going back to nursing, Georgie.’
    He said nothing, then straightened, moved and came towards her, his body tense, his shoulders set, his mouth hard. ‘You’re bloody not. You’re not going back. It’ll kill you. It’ll all start …’
    He was at her side now, gripping her arms, pulling her up, ‘It’ll all start, it’ll kill you. This time it’ll kill you.’ His face was contorted, he shook her. ‘This was why you had that dream, you’d got nursing in your mind and it all came back. For God’s sake, if the thought of it does that to you, what about the reality? It’ll be the end.’
    ‘Of course it won’t, I keep telling you it’s over, this will show you that it is. I’ll do the cutting out when I’m off shift, I’ll help, I’ve worked it all out. Look, you were born to
lead
, for goodness sake, it makes sense, you’ve got to see that it makes sense. You’re hurting, Georgie.’ His fingers were too tight, he was shaking her harder. His face was too close, too angry.
    ‘Georgie, listen to me.’ She wrenched free, shoving the chair out of her way, backing from him, putting the table between them. ‘Listen. I’m going back to nursing. I’m going to prove to you that I’m all right, I’m going to earn the money while you get the business going. It’s the only sensible thing.’
    He was walking away, out into the hall, his feet clicking against the tiles. ‘Don’t turn your back on me,’ she shouted. ‘Come back here. You’ve got to let me do this, it’s the only way.’
    He stopped, turned. ‘You were nursing when the Japs came to Singapore. You were nursing when they cut off Lorna Briggs’ head, and smashed your finger, when you buried – how many of your friends, breaking their bodies so that they’d fit into the boxes? What do you think it will do to you, to go back. It’ll flip you over again.’ He wasn’tshouting, he was speaking so softly she had to move into the hall to hear him.
    ‘I’m nursing. You are setting up the business because I can’t – I’m no good at that. You’re so much