Free Extract

Please enjoy this extract from Book 1: Being Different

Daily Bread:

Kit also learned from her Ladies Maid grannie how to bake bread and pastries in the oven attached to the roaring fire. It all had to be timed meticulously, otherwise the bread wouldn’t rise and the whole family would go hungry. She also made cakes, biscuits and pies, and the results were always mouthwatering. Waking up to the delicious smell of freshly baked bread was even better than the unbridled joy of their human alarm clock, Gertrude.

Everyone had their job and no one ever complained or tried to avoid chores and so the house ran like clockwork. Almost instinctively, they knew how to help each other and were happy and harmonious. Royce whistled and Bertie and Ben recited raucous football songs while Kit hummed hymns. The house was always happy, despite Mother’s melancholy moods.

They did their chores and they didn’t complain, and that meant that Mother could concentrate on the younger girls. May, Millie and baby Mary, who Mother was still nursing and took up most of Mother’s time so that meant the children were in charge of keeping the household going.

May and Millie tried to help but their hands were so small that whenever they tried to knead the bread more dough ended up on the floor and windows. Kit thought it was best that May and Millie kneaded with pretend bread instead: otherwise, the whole family would go hungry. And when the boys got Hangry, everyone knew about it.