Where was everyone? How would she ever get used to all this space?

‘There’s a kestrel!’ one of the men yelled from the back of the cart. It sounded like Ray Maguire.

Maggie jumped, thinking for a moment they meant a plane. A Spitfire, a Hurricane or – God help them – enemy aircraft. But no, it was a beautiful brown bird, hovering in the air, wings fluttering. She exhaled, remembering she was safe now.

The Hall was looming ever larger. How many two-up and two-downs could fit into that? It reminded Maggie of Buck House, or Buckingham Palace as Mutti preferred them to say. Mutti had taken her and Vi to see the palace once. They’d stood on the pavement and peered through the railings.

‘Ain’t the windows mucky!’ Vi had said, which made them laugh. But Mutti had told them the palace had over six hundred rooms, which was a lot of windows to clean.

Apart from that trip out, the nearest Maggie had ever come to a posh place like this was one winter’s day before Violet was born. Mutti had been doing some tailoring for a lady and had to deliver the finished garment to her house on the other side of town. They had to take the Tube and two buses and even then, there was a long walk but when they got there, it was worth it.

The house was tall, with iron railings and a gate and stone steps up to the front door, which was dark blue, with a shiny letter box and knocker.

Mutti had lifted Maggie up, so she could lift the knocker and make the rat-a-tat-tat on the door. It made her giggle.

The lady of the house invited them in. It was so warm after the chill of outside, and the drawing room, as it was called, was full of so many lovely things that Maggie almost went cross-eyed, staring at them all.

Mutti told her firmly to sit in her seat and not to move.

The floor was covered in Persian rugs and little tables bearing photographs and ornaments. There were paintings on the walls and little treasures everywhere. It was like being in a shop. A coal fire burned in the grate and the room smelled of pine wood and polish.

Maggie would have liked to have stayed in that room forever but once they’d had a cup of tea – served in a fine china tea set, with a plate of biscuits – they had to leave. It was dark outside by then and even colder than when they’d arrived.

‘Komm, walk fast and you will get warm,’ Mutti said, reaching for Maggie’s hand.

Maggie hadn’t been able to resist turning her head for one last glimpse of the house. The drawing-room window was glowing orange and as she watched, someone pulled the curtains closed.