Upstairs she sorted Dorothy out and, once she’d calmed down, the little girl was keen to watch her mother change into her own dress. Katie put on a new sundress she had made, in pink-and-white candy stripes with a full, flowy skirt. She peered in the little mirror trying to see the full effect, and combed her hair. Dorothy made pleased-sounding noises.

‘Come on, you scallywag, let’s go down. Perhaps I shan’t bother changing Tomas – he’ll only be filthy again within five minutes.’

Sybil’s house was still home, but was not to be for much longer. The housing shortage was very acute and Katie and Marek had had their name down on a council waiting list since before Dorothy was born, but were still – like Em and Norm – stuck in the same lodgings. Not that it was a great hardship. Sybil had been very good to them. They knew that wherever they lived now, she would always be part of the family. They had gradually taken over the upper floors of the house. Katie and Marek had their room in the attic, with Dorothy in there still in her cot, and Michael and Tomas were in Marek and Piotr’s old room. Sybil had come to an arrangement with them over the rent, and they both helped out in the house and garden. Marek was still working at the factory and was doing well. One day, he hoped to follow his dream of nursing. One day, he said, he would make the break.

A succession of other single lodgers came and went in the smaller room at the back, and by and large the arrangement worked well. Sometimes, Katie thought, Sybil must get sick of having a young family about, and sometimes she and Marek had longed for their own place, where they wouldn’t have to take anyone else into consideration. But they knew that Sybil was like a mother to both of them, and a grandmother to the Wozniak children. Now, just days ago, they had been allocated a brand-new council house, out on an estate called Tile Cross, and they knew it was going to be wrench to leave Handsworth.

At the mellow mid-afternoon everyone started to arrive. The house and street were still decked out with colourful bunting, rippling in the breeze, from the celebrations earlier in the week and, seeing that it was not showing signs of raining, they started laying out the food. Katie was arranging plates of neat sandwiches on the table when Marek crept up behind her and caught her by the waist.

‘Ooh!’ she squealed. ‘You made me nearly jump out of my skin!’ She laughed as his hands were tickling her.

‘You look very beautiful,’ he murmured in her ear. ‘This dress brings out your curves.’

‘And you’re very naughty, she said. ‘You’re supposed to be keeping an eye on the children, not thinking about my curves.’