‘Much better. Pops thinks he’s found a buyer for the factory, one of Dad’s old acquaintances, so that’s good news. They were disappointed to hear that Jess wasn’t our daughter but are keeping their fingers crossed that something turns up.’

‘Have you heard from Jess recently?’

Olivia drew a deep breath. ‘Only to say that she hadn’t heard any more from her old friend, but that she would keep trying.’

‘She’s a good ’un,’ said Ted. ‘It’s a shame things turned out the way they did.’

Olivia nodded to herself. She knew Jess couldn’t be her daughter, but deep down she wished she was.

With the Normandy landings far behind them, the war had quickened its pace and Britain and her allies had gone from strength to strength. Victory over Germany was looking more and more likely and morale was at an all-time high.

Olivia had remained in contact with Jess and Dana despite their attempts to find her daughter drawing a blank. When receiving mail from either of the girls, she no longer expected to hear mention of her daughter, but they kept her posted as to how the war was progressing from their end. In their most recent epistle, Jess had written to tell Olivia of her and Dana’s upcoming double wedding.

We had agreed to wait until the war was over, but goodness only knows when that will be, and what with them cancelling leave willy-nilly, we’ve booked the first free date in Brougham Terrace Register Office, which is August 14th. We’d both really like it if you could come to the wedding …

Olivia felt a lump rise in her throat. She had become close to the girls and it was heart-warming to know they felt the same. So she had immediately telephoned Ted to ask if he could get the time off to attend the ceremony.

‘I’ll have to ask, but I can’t see it being a problem,’ he said cheerfully, ‘especially with it being close to base.’

August 1944

Olivia waited outside Ted’s barracks, her tummy fluttering with anticipation. She caught sight of him and waved as he approached the taxi. Smiling, Ted slid along the back seat towards her and kissed her softly. ‘Hello, darling.’

Olivia felt her heart rise in her chest. ‘Hello, Ted.’ She spoke directly to the driver: ‘Brougham Terrace, please.’ As the cab pulled away, she turned her attention back to Ted. ‘It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you so much, and I know we talk over the telephone two or three times a week, but it’s not the same as seeing you in person.’

Ted cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again, only this time, the kiss lasted longer and was deeper than the first. ‘Not as much as I’ve missed you,’ he said quietly. ‘How do you feel about the wedding?’