Peggy smiled and left the door ajar. Daisy loved her room, and Charlie was just as pleased with his, for now he’d taken over the double front room on the top floor, he had space for a desk and chair to do his homework, plenty of shelves for his numerous books and trophies, and a large cupboard in which to stow all his clothes and sports kit. There were two single beds up there too, for he was making friends and sometimes brought one home to stay the night.

She tiptoed past Danuta’s room, not wanting to wake her after she’d been out all night tending an elderly patient, and listened at Cordelia’s door before using the bathroom which had a new bath, basin, window frames, lino and a coat of paint. Danuta and Cordelia had decided to remain in their old rooms, but both had been given fresh wallpaper and paint, and Peggy had found some lovely curtain material at the Sunday market which she’d paid one of the factory machinists to run up for her for both bedrooms.

Going past the stair-lift minutes later, Peggy admired the new dark red runner and landing carpet, and the freshly replastered walls and ceilings which had been painted white along with the bannisters, making the whole place look much bigger and brighter.

She wandered into her dining room, which had sprigged wallpaper above the dado rail, and pretty yellow paint beneath it which went with the heavy gold-coloured curtains she’d spent a fortune having dry-cleaned. The chimney had been swept, the crack in the marble surround repaired, and Ron had found a simply gorgeous chandelier in a house clearance, the crystals of which shot rainbows of colour into the room as the morning sun came through the wide bay windows.

She gazed at the smooth varnished floor, the family photographs and brass candlesticks on the mantelpiece and her mother’s ornate mirror above them. She’d had such fun going through all the things in the attic and under the stairs, and had found a great many treasures that had lain hidden there since before the war. The two armchairs had been repaired and covered with rich cream velvet, and an Egyptian rug lay in front of the brass fender, making everything look most luxurious.

However, money had become very tight after all the changes she’d made in the basement and kitchen, so there was little she could do about the battered dining table and the mismatched chairs, but a white linen cloth would hide the scratches and burns, and once it was decorated with holly and candles, no one would notice.

Peggy padded back into the hall and across the repaired red and blue Victorian tiles which now gleamed richly. In place of the rotting and pitted front door there was now a very smart one with coloured glass panes at the top which Frank had found abandoned but unscathed at the back of a bombed-out house. He’d sanded it down and painted it dark blue, then attached the lovely brass knocker and letterbox fittings he’d found in a junk shop.