‘They’re always falling out,’ Anne said lightly. ‘What is it this time?’

‘The trip to Poland. And add to the note that Rachel had confirmation from the Foreign Office that it isn’t safe to travel there at the moment. That should make her change her mind, if nothing else.’

‘All right,’ Anne said hesitantly. ‘But you know how stubborn she can be. She might decide the risk is worth it.’

‘I sincerely hope not,’ said Peggy with a shudder. ‘If she wants to speak to me, I’ll be here all day.’ She looked through the glass partition and saw the first few workers clocking in. ‘What are your plans, Anne?’

‘I meant to tell you earlier, that I got a letter the other morning from the people who’ve been renting our cottage. They’re moving out two weeks earlier than planned, so I need to go up there and check that everything is as it should be. Martin’s taking care of the girls until I get back, and then he’s off to oversee the work on the airfield. I’m meeting Betty this afternoon at the new school. The headmaster has called for a staff meeting before the start of term, to show us around.’

‘It sounds as if you have a busy day ahead of you,’ said Peggy. ‘But with your tenants leaving, will that mean you’ll be moving out soon?’

‘It will all depend on the state of the cottage,’ said Anne. ‘But with Auntie Doreen and her three about to descend this weekend, it will probably be better for everyone if we moved out. Three small girls make enough racket – I dread to think what it will be like with six little ones in the house.’

Peggy was rather looking forward to the chaos of a full house and the sound of lively children, but she did accept it might become intolerably noisy – and really, it would be good for Anne and Martin to be in their own home again.

Once she had disconnected the call she sat for a while, lost in her thoughts, and then decided there wasn’t much she could do about anything. Things would sort themselves out one way or another, and she had work to do. But first she would telephone Doris and find out how John’s back was doing.

Doris replaced the receiver and hurried into her bedroom to finish dressing. She was running very late, but then it had been a busy morning what with taking breakfast round to John and seeing to it that he was as comfortable as he could be lying on that board on the floor. Life would be very much easier if they lived in the same bungalow, but as it was, she was going back and forth like a pendulum.

She brushed her hair and grabbed her handbag, her mind already on all the things she had to do today – not only in the office, but in the town. With her wedding to John only days away, she was due for a final fitting at the dressmaker’s, and still hadn’t found the right hat to go with her outfit. She also had to book an appointment at Julie’s to get her hair and nails done on the Saturday morning, and then go and see Rosie to discuss the idea she and John had had about the tenancy on her bungalow. It would be the ideal solution really, but it all hinged on what Rosie had to say about it.