Doreen climbed down from the train with Archie junior on her hip, the girls leaping out before her onto the platform. It was lovely to be home again, even if her last memories of Cliffehaven and Beach View had been overshadowed by Archie’s father’s tragic death in that London tube station.

She took a deep breath of the warm, salty air to banish the awful memories of that day. ‘Stay together and don’t wander off,’ she ordered the girls. ‘I have to get the pram and suitcase out of the guard’s van.’

‘I’ll do that, Doreen,’ said Stan jovially.

‘Uncle Stan!’ she exclaimed in delight, giving the stationmaster a hug. ‘How lovely that you’re still here. I thought you must have retired by now.’

He hugged her back and then looked down at her with sad eyes. ‘I’m afraid I won’t have much choice in the matter soon,’ he said. ‘But I’ll tell you more once we’ve got your things out of the van.’

Doreen watched him lumber down the length of the train and frowned. She’d known Stan all her life, and he was so much a part of this station that she couldn’t imagine him anywhere else, so why was he retiring?

Stan carried the suitcase and wheeled the large pram down the platform. He took charge of nine-month-old Archie, who grinned and made a grab for his peaked hat. ‘Goodness me,’ he chuckled. ‘He’s a lovely big chap, isn’t he?’

‘As handsome and sweet-tempered as his father,’ said Doreen proudly. ‘Heavy too,’ she added with a grunt as she took him from Stan to plonk him into the pram and strap him in. ‘You were saying about maybe having to retire,’ she prompted.

‘There’s talk they’ll be closing this branch line,’ he said sadly. ‘Now the troop trains and special services are no longer running, the railway company deems it unprofitable.’

‘But what about your lovely cottage?’ she asked in horror. ‘Surely they aren’t just going to pension you off and leave you homeless?’

He smiled down at her. ‘I’ll get a good pension, and they’ve promised they’ll only charge me a peppercorn rent for the cottage until I turn up my toes. Then it will either be sold off or pulled down to make way for new housing.’

He gave a deep sigh. ‘Which means my niece, April, and her little Paula will have to find their own place to live. I had hoped she could just carry on renting it, but the rail company won’t hear of it.’

‘Oh, Stan, I’m so sorry,’ Doreen commiserated. ‘It’s been your family home ever since your father was stationmaster.’

‘Aye, well, at least I can live out my last days there, and I’ve got a bit of money put by, so I can help April out when it comes to getting her own place.’

Doreen caught sight of her girls wandering off in boredom to inspect Stan’s large tubs of flowers. ‘I’d better get on, Stan. Peggy’s expecting me, and I don’t want to be late for Doris’s drinks tonight.’