Rosie grinned and her blue eyes sparkled. ‘I suppose I am, but Ron’s taking me out dancing tonight, and I just needed to clear this lot away so they don’t get trampled into the bar.’

Peggy’s smile hid her envy, for she couldn’t remember the last time Jim had taken her dancing. ‘Where’s he taking you?’

‘The Pier Hotel,’ Rosie replied. ‘They’ve opened up the basement and the dance floor is rumoured to be marvellous.’ She lifted Daisy into her arms and perched her on her hip so the child could inspect her sparkling earrings. ‘Why don’t you ask Danuta to babysit and come along with us, Peg? I’m sure you could do with a night out.’

‘I’d feel a bit of a gooseberry, Rosie.’

‘You could always ask Frank to come with you,’ said Rosie with a naughty grin. ‘He’s footloose and fancy free at last, and is quite the dancer.’

‘It’s a bit soon, don’t you think?’

Rosie shrugged. ‘Probably, but he should start getting out and about and enjoying life again. Living with Pauline can’t have been much fun.’

‘I don’t expect it was,’ agreed Peggy. ‘But her leaving like that came as a nasty shock, and he’ll need time to find his feet again.’

Rosie winced as Daisy tugged at her earring. ‘Don’t pull, darling,’ she said. ‘That hurt.’ Daisy looked mutinous, so Rosie put her back on her feet so she could pat Monty.

‘Changing the subject,’ she said, rubbing her ear and clipping the earring back on, ‘all the paperwork has gone through on Doris’s purchase of the bungalow, so I expect they’ll start the building work any day now. How are your renovations going, Peg? I hope Ron’s getting on with it and not spending half his time drinking tea.’

‘He’s been very good, really. There’s only Danuta and Cordelia’s bedrooms to do now and upstairs will be finished but for the landings. The big upheaval will start on Monday when the men begin work on the basement.’

‘It will all cost a pretty penny, Peggy. I hope you’re not stretching things too far and leaving yourself short.’

‘I have been a bit over-ambitious with all my plans,’ Peggy admitted. ‘The cost of everything is terrifying, and now there’s only Danuta and Cordelia paying rent things are tight.’ She gave a sigh. ‘I might have to shelve some of my bigger ideas until next year.’

Rosie nodded. ‘That’s a shame, but understandable. The rationing is worse than ever and the cost of everything is rising almost daily. It’s one of the things I plan to argue against once I’m on the council. We’re in the heart of the countryside with fields and farms all around us, but even the most basic things like butter, eggs, potatoes and bread are rationed so we can send food to Europe. It’s simply not right.’

Peggy grinned. ‘There’s no need to get on your soapbox for me, Rosie. I’m in full agreement. But what will you do with the Anchor if you get on the council?’