KATIE KING lives in Kent, and has worked in publishing. She has a keen interest in twentieth-century history and this novel was inspired by a period spent living in south-east London. She is the author of The Evacuee Christmas, the first in the Evacuee series.
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First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018
Copyright © Katie King 2018
Katie King asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Ebook Edition © July 2018 ISBN: 9780008257583
Contents
The day that Milburn came to Tall Trees rectory seemed to take forever to arrive.
And no sooner had Milburn been installed in the freshly whitewashed stable and given a metal pail of cool water to drink from, than there was an enviable trumpet of flatulence from underneath an extravagantly lifted tail, followed by an impressively large mound of droppings deposited in the corner of the stall, combining to make the children crowded over the stable door giggle in glee.
Milburn’s little chestnut ears flicked nervously forwards and backwards at the unfamiliar noise they were making.
The Rev. Roger Braithwaite, Tommy’s father, announced in a proud voice, ‘Just what the vegetables need’, to which his wife Mabel replied in a tone much less proud, ‘Don’t be such a daft ’apporth, Roger – it’s got t’ rot down first.’
Nobody said anything for a moment or two, and then Tommy asked Roger in a deceptively innocent voice, ‘Phew, phewee! Pa, do ponies fart a lot? And do they do much sh—?’
‘Tommy!’ his mother quickly cut in.
Milburn turned to peer at Tommy with such a comical look of shock that