Peggy was left none the wiser as she stood in the doorway to watch them hurry down the garden path. She returned their brief wave before they disappeared down the twitten then, with a deep sigh, went to tidy up the basement rooms.

Mary arrived with Rosie just as Peggy was bringing a tray of squash down into the garden for the children, so she quickly got Martin to fetch more deckchairs from beneath the tarpaulin that had once covered Rita’s motorbike. Making sure everyone was settled, she went back upstairs to the kitchen to make a pot of tea and to hunt out some of the lovely biscuits Cordelia’s family had sent from Canada.

The girls began to squabble over the toys in the sandpit, so Martin decided to take them down to the beach to let off steam. There was a bit of a kerfuffle to find their swimsuits and towels, and he finally left armed with all the paraphernalia needed for a trip to the beach with three small girls.

‘It’s lovely to see him looking so much better, Anne,’ said Rosie. ‘You must be delighted to have him back to his old self.’

‘He’s not quite there yet, Rosie,’ she replied, ‘but he’s certainly come on in leaps and bounds since he’s been here. He still has quiet days and troubled nights, but they aren’t as frequent.’

‘He’s clearly learned to enjoy the company of his children again,’ said Peggy. ‘A few short weeks ago, he’d have sloped off with Roger to the airfield for the day, and not given you or them a thought.’

‘Ron was telling me about this new air-freight service that Martin and the others are setting up,’ said Rosie. ‘That must surely have boosted his confidence and given him a new and exciting challenge?’

‘Oh, it has,’ said Anne. ‘He never stops talking about it, and spends hours with Kitty, Charlotte and Roger poring over all the documents involved, and going to meetings with the authorities. They’ve finally gained permission from the RAF to use Cliffe aerodrome, and are up there most days with a team of men to get the runway cleared and repaired before they take delivery of their first plane.’ She grinned. ‘It’s all terribly exciting.

‘What plane have they bought?’ asked Mary.

‘It’s a Douglas C-47 the Americans no longer want, and according to Martin, it’s in good shape considering it was a real workhorse throughout the last two years of the war. I’m just so thrilled they want to fly again after all they’ve been through.’

‘Will Kitty and Charlotte be flying too?’ asked Mary.

‘Definitely; but not until they have two planes and more orders under their belt – which shouldn’t be too long now with all the emergency supplies being air-lifted into Europe.’

‘It all sounds very exciting, Anne. I’m so pleased. But it does make my life seem utterly dull in comparison,’ said Mary on a sigh.

‘I’m sure it isn’t dull at all,’ said Anne. ‘Not with your little boy to care for and your teaching at the local school.’