A Sister's War by Molly Green (the reading strategies book txt) 📕

today, and all the other days,’ Dora Dummitt said, completely ignoring Ronnie’s remark and making little popping noises with her lips on the pipe stem as she endeavoured to light it. ‘So I don’t want any backchat. Just concentrate, all of yous at all times. Eat sharpish, then clean and tidy the boat before leavin’. Put yer blankets away so they don’t get wet when it rains, fold away yer mattress and put up the cross bed into the bed ’ole so it in’t in the way …’

Dora gave a few more instructions that Ronnie either didn’t understand or couldn’t keep up with. She rolled her eyes in frustration.

‘Boats are never to be left untidy or dirty,’ Dora continued. ‘And I mean never. There’s a routine ter keep ’em clean, and it’ll come natural once yous’ve done it a few times, but for now we need ter get on with the day’s run on the cut.’ She paused. ‘I’m goin’ outside. There’s no room to breathe in here. Until then I want everyone outside by five to eight.’ She disappeared.

‘I’m off then,’ Ronnie said. But before she could put the lid on the saucepan there was a muffled noise above them and Jessica’s feet clad in brogues, newly polished after their beating yesterday, appeared through the hatch. She was down in a flash, her long figure causing the small eating space to become even more squashed.

‘I came to see where you were,’ Jessica said, glancing at Ronnie accusingly. ‘You’ve been gone ages and May and I are starving.’

‘Just coming,’ Ronnie said.

‘I really dislike that woman,’ Jessica said when she and Ronnie were back with May in the butty and they were eating the by now lukewarm porridge. ‘If she can get a dig in, she will. And she seems to have it in for Ronnie even more than me.’

‘She’d bleedin’ jump on any of us if we put a foot wrong,’ May said. ‘It’s just her way. I wouldn’t take no notice.’

‘Well, she did come up trumps when she lent me some of her clothes,’ Ronnie said. ‘My spares were all in here. Anyway, we haven’t got time to moan about her. We’ll get our heads chopped off if we’re not outside by five to eight.’

Everyone except Jessica had gathered on the dock wall before eight. The minutes ticked by. Dora sniffed and looked at her watch.

‘Where the bloody hell is she?’ She looked at Ronnie and May. ‘Well? You two live with her.’

‘She was doing her face when Ronnie and I left,’ May said with a giggle. ‘Though who’s going to take notice of her in this weather, I don’t know.’

At least it wasn’t raining, Ronnie thought, but the wind whistled through the thin leafless branches which overhung the canal. She shivered in her new raincoat even though it had a warm lining and she had a thick jumper on underneath. She wished she was still wearing one of Dora’s vests. It was much thicker than the one she’d packed.

The other girls were beginning to fidget and mutter.

‘Someone, go and fetch her,’ Dora said, her face screwed in irritation. ‘She’s to come now!’

‘Here I am, everybody.’ A smiling Jessica appeared on the roof and agilely jumped up onto the dock wall to join them.

‘Yer late,’ Dora said. ‘I won’t be kept waitin’. Yer to be punctual, same as everyone here who managed ter be on time. What was yer doin’?’

‘I’m actually only five minutes late,’ Jessica said, her smile fading. ‘I was emptying the bucket, if you must know. Not a pleasant job as the person who used it before me hadn’t left it very clean.’

‘Sorry,’ May spoke up immediately. ‘That must’ve been me. It’s so dark in there you can’t see a thing.’

‘But yer had time for a full make-up, miss,’ Dora snapped at Jessica.

Jessica blinked. ‘I do that every day. It’s normal routine for me. I have to be ill if I haven’t got my lipstick and mascara on.’

‘Yer not here to be no fashion model,’ Dora said scathingly. ‘I’m beginnin’ ter have grave doubts you’ll make a good boater, miss, even if yer daddy do have his own boat. This in’t no game and I won’t put up with no nonsense from yous or anyone.’

Angela whispered something to Sally and Dora pounced on her.

‘If yous’ve anything ter say, miss, spit it out.’ Dora glared at her.

‘Just that we were all talking last night,’ Angela said. ‘We had a bet – that Jessica wouldn’t last.’

‘Why on earth did you bet that?’ Jessica demanded, her eyes sparking.

‘I think I know why,’ Ronnie blurted out. ‘Yesterday when we were all covered in mud you had one small streak on your face. No mud anywhere except your lovely new shoes which you’ve polished like a mirror. We’d love to know how you could have kept so clean.’

Jessica dropped her gaze on each girl in turn, and Ronnie suddenly felt uncomfortable. She’d gone too far. Her sisters put up with her often tactless remarks – they were used to them – but she didn’t know these girls. She gave a sideways look at Jessica whose mouth twitched at the corners. To her relief Jessica gave a sudden hoot of laughter.

‘Well, who knows,’ she said. ‘You may be right about the bet. But then again, you might not be.’

‘If yous have finished decidin’ who will last the course and who won’t,’ Dora interrupted, a scathing edge to her voice, ‘let me remind yous I’ll be doin’ the decidin’. P’raps yer ready to begin yer second day’s trainin’ – if it in’t too much ter ask.’

Chapter Seven

‘Right then, we’re ready ter let go, and this time get further than Bull’s Bridge.’ Dora bent to untie the straps. ‘We don’t have ter come back ter the depot again. We’ll be trainin’ as we go. But we need ter be doubly careful terday. Look at them trees.’ She pointed beyond the boat depot to light woodland where the trees were swaying alarmingly. ‘It’s