title: The Waterway's Girl
author: Beesley, J.M.
description: Laura Webb was a waterways girl, she had been born and bred on the waterways of England. Water was in her blood she reasoned, with numerous ancestors having worked on the canals, lakes and the sea in one capacity or another. At the age of thirty seven with a son, Sean, of nineteen, who was at Oxford University studying mechanical engineering, Laura was almost happy with her life. The 'almost' came in as her job description was about to change. Laura had been Curator of a canal museum in Somerset for thirteen years which she had developed along with her line manager Colin Easton, who was a 'Waterways man'. Laura's life, had, to date been eventful. She had been married at the age of eighteen and when Sean was a year old she came home one day to find a 'Dear Laura' letter on the kitchen table and Franc O'Keeffe had gone leaving her with a mountain of debts. During Laura's interview with the panel regarding the revision of her job description, a man came into the room who Laura did not know and sat observing in a corner. Laura took an immediate dislike to him thinking he was arrogant and overbearing.later she was to discovered he was Colin's boss Andrew Harewood,and when Colin retired eighteen months later Andrew, who was not a 'waterway's man' became Laura's line manager. Laura did not hide her animosity to her new boss, which at times almost lost her her job. However, during the following three years together, they weathered many storms: The discovery of the remains of two children from the nineteenth century, and the fact that they had been executed,but by whom? And Laura's ex-husband re-emerging in New Zealand and kidnapping Sean and his new wife Drina,(Who was Andrew's adopted daughter),when they were on their honeymoon, which almost resulted in all of them loosing their lives.