All Things Nice

  Stupid little girl!

  Mother screaming. Charlotte’s fault. Always.

  Stupid slag. The sneer in Freya’s voice matched Mother’s and they both started laughing.

  Charlotte started singing. Anything to block out the noise. Sang the first song that came to her. An old, familiar song. Sang out loud, her voice rising over the others. Mother and Freya joining in until it was impossible to know which voice was which.

  ‘Sugar and spice and all things nice

  Kisses sweeter than wine,

  Sugar and spice and all things nice

  You know that little girl is mine.’

  She was at the pub, throwing open the door and walking inside. It was dark and quiet and smelled of stale beer and greasy food and the underlying odour of unwashed bodies. Behind her, the door swung closed. The voices disappeared, leaving her all alone.

  She walked across to the bar, her heels sinking into the soggy carpet, gave the barman her best smile and ordered her first drink.

  About the Author

  Sheila Bugler grew up in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. After studying Psychology at University College Galway (now NUIG), she left Ireland and worked in Italy, Argentina, Spain, Germany and Holland. She lived in London for many years before finally settling in Eastbourne, East Sussex. She is married to Seán and has two children, Luke and Ruby.

  Copyright

  The eBook edition first published 2016 by Brandon,

  an imprint of The O’Brien Press Ltd,

  12 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6, D06 HD27, Ireland.

  Tel: +353 1 4923333; Fax: +353 1 4922777

  E-mail: books@obrien.ie

  Website: www.obrien.ie

  First published 2016.

  The O’Brien Press is a member of Publishing Ireland.

  eBook ISBN: 978–1–84717–850–3

  Copyright for text © Sheila Bugler 2016

  Copyright for typesetting, layout, design © The O’Brien Press Ltd.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or in any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Layout and design: The O’Brien Press Ltd.

  Cover photograph: Shutterstock