‘Oh, love . . .’ He cuddled her. ‘Well, it hasn’t turned out like that, has it? I’m here now, and we’ve got it all in front of us. ‘You done a marvellous job, girl – he looks a fine little lad.’

‘He is.’ She smiled. ‘I can’t wait for you to see him properly.’

After a time Norm said, ‘Where’re we going to sleep? In with littl’un?’

‘We’ll have to,’ Em said. ‘Joyce and Violet are in Sid’s old room now.’

‘Or we could just stay down here’ – Norm was stroking her arm, seductively – ‘make us a bed up on the hearth here . . .’

There was a rug by the fire. ‘Tell you what,’ Em said. ‘I could put a match to it. There’s a few bits of kindling left and a bit of slack. It won’t last long, but it’d be cosy. And I’ll get the spare blanket from up in our room.’ She crept up and fetched the old rug and a pillow. The boards creaked, but the rest of the family were sleeping soundly. When she went down, Norm was kneeling, skilfully coaxing the fire into light. She watched him for a second, the light flickering on his face. My husband, she thought. That’s my husband. The fire was taking, licking round the knots of newspaper.

‘Shall I make us another cup of tea?’ she asked, knowing that although she longed for what was to come, she felt shy again, not sure what to say or do. It was a way of putting it off.

Norm turned. ‘There’s no need.’ He held his arms out. ‘Oh God, love – just come here, will you?’

Moved by the longing in his eyes, she went to him and, ravenously, he began to make love to her, urgently tugging at the buttons of her frock as they sank to the floor by the fire.

‘You’ll tear it – let me do it!’ she laughed, taking his hands to restrain him.

He needed her so badly that he could hardly contain himself until he was inside her, and she held him, finding her own pleasure reawakening and bursting in on her too, so that they were both gasping, trying not to make too much noise. As they calmed, she held him, kissing him tenderly, feeling how much broader and more substantial he was than the gawky boy to whom she had waved goodbye.

‘My man,’ she whispered into his neck. ‘Oh, Norm, you’re here – you’re really here.’

He raised his head and looked down at her, eyes full of love. ‘And you’re my girl. My wife.’ Emotionally he added, ‘You’re so lovely, Em. I told them all out there, showed them your picture – my girl, I said, she’s the best. I can’t believe I’m back here with you.’

They lay with him inside her for a long while, close in each other’s warmth, as if they couldn’t bear to come apart. There had been too much being apart. But once they separated, they snuggled up side by side by the last flickers of the fire, pulling the old rug over them and sharing the pillow. Em rested her head on Norm’s chest, her hand stroking his taut belly.