Eve of the Isle Read Free Page A

on the roof seemed to increase. She turned and trod softly over to gaze at her sleeping children. Two little boys, both beautiful in their own way. A hard life awaited them. No amount of wishing otherwise could change the fact. But she had built up many contacts over the years and preserved a good reputation. The watercress would always sell well. The posies and buttonholes too, if you knew how to present them. These gifts from the earth were bread and butter to them. At least Albert and Samuel would inherit the knowledge.
    Once more she leaned to kiss them lightly, then pulling her shawl round her, made her way downstairs.
    In the kitchen, she found Peg cursing loudly. A pool of dirty brown water funnelled up through the kitchen duckboards making little whirlpools and sucking noises.
    â€˜Isn’t there something we can do?’ Eve stood still,her eyes wide with concern.
    Peg turned round slowly, a look of resignation on her lined, worn face. She snatched the dog end from her lips and cast it into the muddy puddle. ‘Watch this,’ she croaked.
    Eve waited as the bobbing article made its way with speed to the feet of the stove. It swirled there and Eve held her breath, praying the level would drop. But then the dog end was sucked down between the two submerged clawed black feet of the stove.
    â€˜It’s risin’,’ said Peg. ‘And fast.’
    â€˜The stream must be blocked.’
    The enormity of the problem suddenly struck Eve. Once the kitchen and scullery were flooded, what would happen? Would it flow over the kitchen step?
    Peg muttered under her breath, shaking her head. ‘This is different, girl. We ain’t had nothing like this ’afore.’
    Eve nodded in agreement. It was true, the stream had never raised the duckboards to make a lake of its own. Then Peg gave a hoarse gasp. Lifting a shaking finger she pointed along the passage.
    Eve blinked and blinked again. It couldn’t be! A glistening tongue was creeping slowly but surely under the front door and moving towards them.

Chapter Two
    S oon the water was running over the cracked linoleum and up to the stairs.
    â€˜We need to build a barricade,’ said Eve, knowing as she spoke it was a ridiculous idea. The force outside the door was building, even the hinges were creaking.
    â€˜It’d have to be a big one,’ sighed Peg, shaking her head. ‘No, there’s only one thing we can do and that’s to take shelter upstairs.’
    Eve knew it was the only answer, even though she didn’t want to accept the fact.
    â€˜Come on,’ said Peg, clutching Eve’s arm. ‘We’ve got to work fast. We’ll take the stuff what’s movable from me room up to safety. You get the food from the larder. Put it in the wicker basket hanging on the door. We don’t know how long this is going to last.’
    Whilst Peg began to collect her things together, Eve returned to the kitchen. The water level had risen to ankle depth. She undid the string round her boots and removed them then, gritting her teeth against the cold, waded barefoot to the larder. Placing the cheese, breadand dripping she found there in the wicker basket, she hitched up her skirt and returned to the passage.
    â€˜I took all me papers and bedclothes upstairs,’ said Peg breathlessly. ‘This here is me clothes. The furniture will have to look after itself. There ain’t much anyway. Just a few nice ornaments and I put them on the mantel.’ Peg paused, then said regretfully, ‘I don’t like to say it, ducks, but them little cress seedlings of yours will already be under water.’
    Eve shrugged. ‘There’s nothing to be done about that.’ Her small patch of cress by the stream would be lost to the main thrust of water from the docks.
    â€˜I’m sorry for you,’ said Peg heavily. ‘You’ve brought that little piece of land into life over the past few