‘Not for a while yet, I hope,’ laughed Doreen, taking charge of the boy and hugging Ron. ‘Try and behave yourself, Ron. And I’m keeping you to your promise to come and visit me. Rosie will love Swansea. There are a lot of shops.’

‘Ach, you women and your shopping,’ he replied with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. ‘To be sure, a man’s wallet is not his own once Rosie spies a shop window. We’ll be down once my Jim’s home and settled in, never you mind.’

Doreen and Peggy embraced as steam and smoke billowed around them. ‘Look after yourself, Peggy,’ Doreen murmured. ‘And don’t worry about me. I’m fine.’

‘Will you come home again?’

‘Perhaps next summer during the long holidays, but who knows where we’ll all be in a year’s time?’

She gave her another swift hug, kissed Daisy, patted the dog and climbed onto the train with her girls. Pulling down the carriage window, she leaned out. ‘Let me know how the work’s going on Beach View, Peggy,’ she called down. ‘And send me lots of photographs when it’s finished.’

Ron raised his eyebrows and looked at Peggy sharply. ‘What work?’

‘We’ll talk about it later,’ she said as the train began to draw away.

Doreen waved out of the window until the train had rounded the bend and slowly disappeared from view, leaving only a column of smoke in its trail.

Peggy turned away and slowly wheeled the pushchair back down the platform. She had no idea when she might see Doreen again, and as it was unlikely she would ever manage to get to Swansea for a visit, it would probably mean more years of separation.

‘What work, Peggy?’ Ron was walking alongside her as they left the station and headed back down the High Street.

‘Renovations,’ she replied, her mind still on her very dear sister. ‘The place needs a facelift, Ron, and seeing what you, Charlie and Frank have done for Anne, I’d like you to start on it as soon as Sarah and Jane leave for Singapore.’

‘Well now,’ he hedged. ‘I have other things to be doing and Frank is out on the trawlers a good deal of the time now he has Brendon working with him.’ He shoved his pipe in his mouth and dug his hand into his poacher’s coat pocket for his roll of tobacco. ‘Besides, Charlie starts back at grammar school next week.’

‘I’m willing to pay you,’ said Peggy, ‘so you can stop making excuses. And I shall need the name of the plasterer, plumber and electrician you used, so I can get estimates of how much it will all cost.’

He came to an abrupt halt, took the pipe from his mouth and stared at her. ‘What exactly are you planning to do with the place, Peggy?’

As she told him her ideas his eyes widened and when she’d fallen silent, he shook his head. ‘To be sure, wee girl, Jim will not be liking all that change.’