Mary giggled. ‘John is a live wire, that’s for certain, but he goes to nursery school in the village now, which gets rid of most of his enormous energy, and when I’m doing my private music lessons, he’s looked after by my lovely in-laws, Joseph and Barbara. I’m very lucky really. Things would have been hugely different for us without having such wonderful support.’

‘Do you have any more photographs?’ asked Peggy. ‘Only the last ones you sent were ages ago, and he was still very tiny.’

Mary dug in her handbag and passed Peggy an envelope. ‘I took these before I came down here. You may keep them if you wish.’

‘Oh, thank you, dear. How lovely of you.’ Peggy eagerly looked at the small black-and-white images of a sturdy, laughing little boy of two, with a mop of curly dark hair. In one of them he was shown dressed in dungarees, shirt and wellington boots, sitting on his grandfather’s knee and pretending to drive the tractor. ‘My goodness, he’s grown,’ she breathed.

‘He certainly has,’ said Mary, ‘and is the image of his father.’ She blinked rapidly, touching the locket he’d given her on her eighteenth birthday. ‘It’s rather lovely, really,’ she carried on, ‘because it’s as if Jack is still with us, and I know it brings a lot of comfort to his parents.’

The moment was broken by Ivy slamming through the gate and running down the path. ‘I can’t stay, Auntie Peggy,’ she announced breathlessly, ‘but I just had to come and say goodbye.’ She threw herself at Peggy and swamped her in a hug as Andy rolled his eyes and looked at his watch.

‘You shouldn’t be rushing about in your condition,’ Peggy softly chided.

‘Yeah, I know, but I got up late and Andy ’as to get back for ’is evening shift at the fire station. And he promised ’is mum ’e’d drop in on ’er before we went home. So I ain’t got much choice, ’ave I?’

‘I suppose not,’ laughed Peggy. She turned to Andy and gave him a hug. ‘Try not to let her charge about so much,’ she said.

‘Chance’d be a fine thing,’ he replied without rancour. ‘My Ivy’s a proper whirlwind, and nothing can stop ’er once she gets going.’ He took Ivy’s hand and smiled down at her. ‘Come on, love, or we’ll be chasing our tails all day at this rate.’

Ivy kissed Cordelia and Peggy, and waved to the others on her way back through the gate. Slamming it behind her, she blew more kisses before Andy propelled her down the twitten at a fast pace.

‘I’d better go too,’ said Mary, collecting her overnight case and large shopping bag from next to her deckchair. ‘My train leaves in half an hour, and I’m in no condition to run up that awful hill.’ She handed over the shopping bag to Peggy. ‘I brought a few jars of jams and pickles from home, and there’s also a pot of honey from the hives we keep on the farm.’