Jonty laughed. ‘Best remember we’re just pals,’ he told his father reprovingly, following Tess as she began to mount the stairs. ‘I know you don’t like people thinking that you’re my girlfriend, Tess, but there’s no need to worry. I’ve been taking Melissa Richmond to the local hops in the village hall – her pa’s got a big farm over Mulbarton way, so the parents approve. By the way, what’s happened about that boy, Snowy something or other? You’ve not mentioned him in any of your letters for ages, so far as I can recall.’

They had reached the landing at the top of the stairs and Tess turned towards him with what Jonty thought was a rather hesitant smile. ‘Oh, Snowy and I are good friends,’ she said airily. ‘But, I’ve heard no word of this Miss Richmond until this very day. I take it she’s your girlfriend?’

Jonty shrugged. ‘One of many,’ he said casually. ‘You can’t imagine a handsome fellow like myself would lack admirers? There’s many a girl would scratch Melissa’s eyes out for a chance to get near me.’

Tess giggled and opened her bedroom door, and then, as Jonty passed her on the way to his, she swung her haversack with deadly accuracy, catching him a smart blow on the bottom.

Jonty spun round, intent on revenge, only to find the bedroom door slammed in his face while a mocking voice said: ‘Too late. You’ve got to get up very early in the morning to catch me napping, Jonty Bell.’

‘Just you wait, that’s all,’ Jonty said. He opened his own door, went inside and raised his voice. ‘See you in the kitchen in five minutes!’

Albert Payne and Edie Williams were seated at the kitchen table of the flat above the milliner’s shop when they heard the letter box on the ground floor rattle. They had been eating breakfast – porridge and toast – and drinking tea, but at the sound Albert got to his feet, wiped his mouth and set off across the kitchen. ‘I’ll go,’ he said rather unnecessarily. ‘I expect there’ll be one for you from Tess; that girl’s a wonder! She’s written to you just about every day since she left. I’m hopeful of getting one from Janine sometime soon, because in my last letter to her I asked if anything was wrong since she’d not written for six months, but then she’s an awfully poor correspondent, so I can’t say I’m particularly worried.’

‘Right you are,’ Edie said cheerfully. ‘I’ll be making us both a carryout. I’m really looking forward to the trip, but for the sake of the decencies we’d best get aboard the coach separately.’

Albert, with his hand on the doorknob, turned and smiled at her, his eyes twinkling over the top of his spectacles. ‘If the folk on the bus could see us sharing our breakfast they’d think the worst,’ he observed. ‘Come to that, so would young Tess. But whilst the cat’s away the mice will play; not that we have been playing, or not in a naughty sense at any rate.’