Whitfield Clan

Paula Evans

Description

London, 1912 - Grace is going to be a pioneer, have a career and live the life of a thoroughly modern woman. That is until she meets Alex, her brother's friend, at the family Christmas party. Then her priorities change - she's in love and wants to marry this amazing man.Early married life is interrupted by the start of World War 1, and life changes for the whole family. Through life's ups and downs, tragedy and happiness, the couple have the family they long for.Relocation to the West Country from London gives the Whitfields a new start. Again, the world is turned upside down with the start of World War 2. How will Grace and Alex's family cope again? Will they all be reunited?

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 30 novembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528969215
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

The Whitfield Clan
Paula Evans
Austin Macauley Publishers
2020-11-30
The Whitfield Clan About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgement Chapter 1 Saturday, 21 December 1912, London, England Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Michael Chapter 28 Lizzie Chapter 29 Victoria and Amelia Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 1942 Chapter 36 1943 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39
About the Author
Paula was born in Hammersmith, West London. She received her education and spent most of her childhood in Middlesex. After working in banking in the City of London, she moved to the Isle of Wight and worked for the Civil Service. She is now living in a Hampshire town with her husband, immediate family and her cat, Bebo.
Dedication
To my high school English teacher, Mr Haynes, for inspiring me to write and enjoy English literature. To my husband, Paul, and my dad for their continued support and love.
Copyright Information ©
Paula Evans (2020)
The right of Paula Evans to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528937672 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528969215 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2020)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgement
Thank you to the team at Austin Macauley for all their help and assistance with both of my novels. Your assistance and experience are greatly appreciated. To my friends, Kelly and Kirsty, for helping me market my novels. To my husband, Paul, for traipsing around locations for my research.
Chapter 1

Saturday, 21 December 1912, London, England
Everything at home had been hectic for the past week. The Christmas party preparations had taken precedence. Home is a Georgian town house in Royal Crescent Notting Hill, painted white with steps up to the front and a pillared entrance to the big green door. It has three storeys and a basement. The garden also had a small building that had been the home of Sally, the cook and her husband, George, who was the butler.
Grace had been making sure that all the table linens, napkins, candlesticks and place settings were all in order and ready to use. Her mother, Elizabeth, had consulted with Sally on the menu required. Her father, Frederick, was trying to keep out of it all by staying at work later than normal. Ruth, Grace’s sister-in-law, had helped her dress the Christmas tree that was placed in the sitting room. They had done that about a week ago. Ruth had also gone shopping for gifts with her. Grace liked Ruth. Ruth was only eighteen months older than her. She had been one of Ruth’s bridesmaids earlier this year at her wedding to Grace’s beloved brother, Michael.
Grace and Michael had always been close. They shared common interests, had the same sense of humour and had been tutored together in their early childhood. Upon the death of their older brother, Charles, ten years ago, they had become closer still; worried over losing another sibling.
Charles had been away at school. He belonged to the Rugby team and had continued playing although he had felt ill with a cold. The cold developed and eventually, the school sent him home. The doctor had been called and pneumonia was diagnosed. He seemed to improve being at home with his family, but another cold snap in March 1902 took its toll on the weakened Charles and he deteriorated. His death was a shock to all the family and friends. He had been a strong and vibrant fourteen-year-old. Frederick and Elizabeth pulled their family even closer. Grace remembered that every winter would mean mountains of clothes piled on whenever she and Michael went out; most summers were not much different either.
Again, the fear of losing another child was foremost in their parent’s minds.
Ruth hadn’t quite seemed herself while they were shopping. She was a little peaky and had got hot quite a few times. They had stopped for refreshments and Ruth had said she felt better. This was Ruth and Michael’s first Christmas together and Ruth wanted to make it extra special.
Frederick owned another property not far from the family home in Notting Hill. It was a flat in a mansion block, and Ruth and Michael had moved in upon their marriage.
Michael was a teacher at a private school in Barons Court. Ruth had been a Governess who had to meet her charges from school. It hadn’t taken them long to get to know one another and fall in love.
They married in May 1912.
Michael and Ruth had already arrived to spend the day helping with the preparations. Around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, Grace went to her room. If something was not ready now, it would never be. She had chosen a dark green dress of chiffon and lace; not too low cut but pulled in to show off her tiny waist, then the skirt fell to the floor. She wore her long hair up in a chignon. For her eighteenth birthday, that year, her parents had bought her a diamond necklace and earrings, which she decided would suit very well for this occasion. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she approved. She applied very little makeup and a little of her favourite scent. She was looking forward to the party. Her family always threw a good do.
As she left her room close to 5 o’clock, Michael and Ruth were also ready to go down. Michael, as handsome as ever with his blond hair, blue eyes and at six feet tall, looked dashing in his dinner suit.
Ruth’s dress was much like her own but in a pale pink. Ruth had brown hair and dark eyes, so the colour suited her perfectly. They chatted as they descended the stairs and went into the dining room.
“Did Uncle Roderick say he was coming this evening, Grace? Or is he still unwell?” Michael asked.
“No, neither he nor Aunt Edwina are coming. He fears his cold will develop,” replied Grace. Then carried on, “Apart from them, all the normal crowd will be here.”
Elizabeth and Frederick then joined them.
“Let’s have a drink to toast the family,” said Frederick. At the age of 54, he still looked young and fit and dashing in his dinner suit. He poured whisky for the men and sherry for the ladies.
“To the family and a happy Christmas,” he boomed.
“To the family and Christmas,” everyone chorused.
Ruth looked at Michael and nodded.
“As we are all together, I would like to make an announcement. Ruth is going to have a baby.” As he spoke, he had put his arm around his wife’s waist.
“That’s wonderful news,” said Elizabeth. “You’re both happy about it, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” replied Ruth. “We’ve known about the baby for two months but we just wanted to ensure everything was going well.”
“When is the baby due?” Grace asked.
“July,” Michael replied, beaming with pride.
Grace remembered Ruth not feeling well while they were Christmas shopping and it now made sense. She went over and gave both Michael and Ruth a hug and so did Elizabeth. Frederick shook hands with his son.
“It will be lovely to have a new baby around. The first of many, I hope,” and he kissed Ruth on the cheek.
“Oh, it’s wonderful news,” Elizabeth said. “It’s the best present I could have had.” The doorbell rang.
“Here we go then, come on Elizabeth, let’s start greeting our guests.” Frederick took her arm and led her out into the hall. George, the butler, had already answered the door and was taking coats from Elizabeth’s sister, Mary and her husband, Stephen.
Soon, the house was full. Everyone had drinks, exchanged presents, chatted and laughter could be heard. Grace had cornered Ruth and spoke again about the pregnancy. Marriage and children were not high on Grace’s list of life choices, but she was excited for her brother and his wife and she would be an auntie. Just before dinner was announced, the doorbell rang again. Michael put his glass down on the drinks cabinet and went to answer the door. Grace hadn’t noticed the new arrival immediately, because she was talking to her cousin, Eloise. Eloise was about to be engaged, so was animated talking about her arrangements for her engagement party. Grace only noticed this new guest when he went to greet her mother.
“Good evening, Alex. It’s good to see you again.” Her mother hugged this man affectionately. S he obviously knows him , she thought.
“Thank you for the invite. I’m so sorry I had lost track of the time; I hope I haven’t missed dinner,” as he finished, he smiled at her mother.
“No, my dear, you made it in good time. Michael, would you like to get Alex a drink?”
“You’re looking well, my boy.” Frederick shook hands with Alex. “How’s the job going?”
“I feel like a small fish in a big ocean, sir,” Alex replied. “But it’s interesting and I’m looking forward to learning and progressing.” As Michael returned with a whiskey for Alex, Ruth joined him.
“Hello, Ruth. You are looking exquisite,” Alex took her hand and kissed it gently.
“Thank you, Alex. You are as charming as ever.”
Michael told him about the pregnancy