Sunday 3 November 2019
Christmas with the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell
Series: The Shipyard Girls #7
Release Date: 31st October 2019
Publisher: Arrow
Publisher: Arrow
Genres: Historical Romance
Sunderland, 1942: Christmas is fast approaching and with it comes a flurry of snow and surprises…
Against all odds, Polly’s fiancĂ© has finally returned home from the front line. If they can keep things on an even keel, she might get the winter wedding she’s always dreamed of.
Meanwhile shipyard manager Helen is determined to move on after a turbulent year. Her sights are set on breaking the yard’s production record and no one, not even the handsome Dr Parker, is going to get in her way.
And head welder Rosie’s little sister Charlotte has turned up unannounced. Why is she back and so set on staying?
Join the shipyard girls as they navigate through life, love and war this Christmas.
Praise for the Shipyard Girls series:
'the author is one to watch' Sun
‘A brilliant read’ Take a Break
‘Well-drawn, believable characters combined with a storyline to keep you turning the pages’ Woman
Against all odds, Polly’s fiancĂ© has finally returned home from the front line. If they can keep things on an even keel, she might get the winter wedding she’s always dreamed of.
Meanwhile shipyard manager Helen is determined to move on after a turbulent year. Her sights are set on breaking the yard’s production record and no one, not even the handsome Dr Parker, is going to get in her way.
And head welder Rosie’s little sister Charlotte has turned up unannounced. Why is she back and so set on staying?
Join the shipyard girls as they navigate through life, love and war this Christmas.
Praise for the Shipyard Girls series:
'the author is one to watch' Sun
‘A brilliant read’ Take a Break
‘Well-drawn, believable characters combined with a storyline to keep you turning the pages’ Woman
Christmas
with the Shipyard Girls
Extract 2
Extract 2
The Ryhope Emergency Hospital, Ryhope Village,County
Durham
Friday
16 October 1942
Tommy felt the
warmth of a kiss. Soft lips were being pressed against his own. He believed it
to be a wonderful dream. One he’d be happy to remain in for eternity. And then
he felt a fluttering of whispered words in his ear.
‘I love you, Tommy
Watts.’ And something told him this wasn’t a dream. Wake
up! Wake up!
He forced his mind
to pull itself forward, to drag itself out of the dark, cloying slumber that
had seemed to encase him for so long. He forced his eyes to open for the
briefest of moments. Could it be? Please, don’t let this be
some cruel trick of the mind!
‘Is that my Pol?’
His words were barely audible, as though part of him did not dare to ask,
knowing the madness that would ensue if what he believed was not true.
‘It is.’
He heard the words
and the tears that were being choked back; felt a hand on his own, squeezing
him gently. It took all his strength to reach over and feel the hand that was
holding his. It was real.
‘It is,’
he managed to say, a smile stretching across his face. ‘It’s my Pol!’He managed
to keep his eyes open for a few seconds, drinking in the face of the woman he
loved. ‘I thought I’d never see you again,’ he mumbled.
‘I didn’t think I
was going to see you again either,’ the soft, lilting voice of his beloved said
back to him. He was losing the battle to stay awake. He
had to know.
‘Do you still want
to be my wife?’ He couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer, but he felt her warm
lips once again on his own.
‘Of course I do.’
He felt her breath
and heard her whispered words, her face gently pressing against his own. It
wasn’t until just after midnight that Tommy woke again.
‘Pol? Polly? Is
that you?’ Tommy turned his head to the side, forcing his eyes wide to see the
best he could through the darkness.
For a second, he
thought he saw the face of the Red Cross nurse, but then he felt a soft, warm
hand take hold of his own. He tried desperately to keep his eyes open, but it
was a losing battle.
‘Yes, Tommy, it’s
me . . . I’m here,’ Polly whispered, her face appearing through the darkness as
she leaned forward. ‘Don’t you worry, I’m not going anywhere,’ she reassured
him, pushing a straggle of thick, curly hair behind her ear. The ward was in
darkness, save for a little night light on the nurses’ station by the heavy
swing doors. The matron was sitting bolt upright, her hands clasped in her lap.
You’d have thought she was wide awake, were it not for her gentle snoring.
‘Polly?’ Tommy’s
voice was croaky. ‘Can yer come closer, so I can see yer properly?’
Polly got up from
her chair and carefully perched herself on the side of the bed. She put the
palm of her hand on his brow. It was still hot. Feeling her touch, Tommy closed
his eyes. Tears began to roll slowly down his face. Cupping his face in both
hands, Polly kissed him. Tommy’s eyes fluttered open and he kissed her back. ‘I
can’t believe you’re here,’ he mumbled. ‘Can’t believe I’m here with you.’
He was staring at
Polly, his hazel eyes still doubtful. ‘It is you,
isn’t it, Pol?’
‘Of course it’s
me,’ she whispered into his ear. She could feel tears welling up in her own
eyes. ‘Who else would be sat here in dirty overalls, looking like they’d been
dragged through a hedge backwards?’
Tommy closed his
eyes again and smiled.
‘That’s my Pol,’ he
mumbled, his voice becoming slurred and sleepy. ‘Building ships to win the
war.’ He recited the words as though he had said them many times over, which he
had. He’d never tired of boasting about his sweetheart back home. Polly kissed
him gently again and looked down at the man she loved. The man she had believed
was dead.
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