Much later, when everything had been cleared away and the house was once more peaceful now everyone had gone to their beds, Jim took Peggy’s hand and led her outside to sit on the front steps as they used to do before the war. It was a clear, warm night with a new moon rising and a myriad of stars twinkling above them.

He put his arm round her shoulders and held her to his side as they listened to the silence broken only by the distant sound of the waves lazily breaking on the shingle beach. He looked out to the chimney pots and roofs of the town, beyond the twinkling lights from the many windows towards the dark, almost sensuous undulations of the surrounding hills, and breathed in the familiar salty air.

‘It’s so good to be home, Peggy,’ he murmured. ‘And I’m so proud of everything you’ve achieved.’

‘Oh, Jim,’ she replied softly. ‘I didn’t do very much at all. It’s you who should be proud. Without men like you, this world would still be at war.’ She rested her head against his shoulder. ‘I’m just so very thankful that you made it through in one piece, when so many have terrible burdens still to bear both physically and mentally, and I pray that your experiences over there won’t haunt you.’

She looked up at him and touched his damaged ear. ‘This is the first night of the rest of our lives, Jim, and now you’re home, you must rest and take your time deciding what you’re going to do.’

Jim kissed the tip of her nose. ‘I know you and Jack were hoping I’d go into business with him, but I told him tonight that I won’t be taking up his offer.’

Peggy looked back at him, her face lit by the golden moonlight, her eyes wide. ‘Would that have something to do with that letter from the Royal British Legion?’

He nodded, and swiftly told her about Elsa Bristow’s help in providing a senior contact within the organisation, and his heartfelt need to use his experiences and do something worthwhile.

‘They’ve offered me the post of Southern co-ordinator for the Far Eastern Prisoners of War. I shall be responsible for making sure they get the medical help they need, the grants and pensions they’re entitled to, and that the right people are put in place to organise any other needs they or their families may have.’

He hugged her to him. ‘They’re offering a good salary, and I shall have the use of a car so I can get about, but I shall always come home at night, Peggy. I’m never leaving you again, I promise.’

‘Are you sure this is what you want, Jim? I know how badly affected you were by the awful stories you had to listen to.’

‘I’ve never been more positive,’ he said firmly, before kissing the top of her head. ‘Those men need all the help they can get, and I can think of no better way of repaying them for all the sacrifices they’ve made.’