‘I’ve written to tell him what I want done, but as it’s me who has to live there with all its inconveniences, and me who has the money to pay for it all, there’s no reason for him to complain.’

‘Reason or not, he won’t like it.’

Peggy felt a dart of uncertainty and chose to ignore it. ‘Well, I mean to have it done one way or another, and if you and Frank won’t help, then I’ll find someone who will. There are plenty of men about who need the work.’

‘Aye, and most of them don’t know one end of a screwdriver from another,’ he rumbled, setting off again.

She almost had to run to keep up with him. ‘So, Ron, will you help? I’ll pay the going rate.’

He stopped again and regarded her from beneath his brows. ‘There’s no need for that. I’ll do it for the price of as many cups of tea as you can make if you stop nagging me. But I can’t speak for Frank.’

Peggy hugged his arm and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. ‘Thanks, Ron, I knew you wouldn’t let me down.’

‘Humph.’ He shrugged his shoulders and reddened. ‘Enough of that, Peggy. I’ve to be running the bar, so I do, and I’ll have Rosie nagging me if I’m too late.’

‘Could you start at the end of next week, then?’ she asked.

‘Aye, all right, But it won’t be an easy task, wee girl. I doubt it will all be done by Christmas.’

‘Oh, but I—’

He held up a grubby finger. ‘It’ll take as long as it takes, Peggy, and that’s an end to it.’

Peggy was smiling as she watched him stomp down the hill, his dog at his heels. After her Jim, Ron was her most favourite and beloved person in the world, and now her dreams were about to be realised, she felt the sadness of Doreen’s departure begin to lift. They would see each other again, she was sure of it – and when she next came home, Beach View would be a positive palace.

Returning home an hour later, Peggy found Cordelia sitting in the sunlit garden with a book, Sarah beside her in a deckchair doing some sewing. She unstrapped Daisy from the pushchair and once she was happily messing about in the sandpit with her doll, she rushed upstairs with her grocery shopping and quickly retrieved Ruby’s letter from her apron pocket.

With the kettle on the hob, she sat down at the kitchen table, lit a cigarette and carefully unfolded the thin blue paper, rather surprised by how neat Ruby’s writing was.