‘Exactly!’ said Catherine. ‘I’m your mother, I should be looking after you, and that’s what I’m trying to do by releasing you from your burden.’

Olivia stared at her mother, stunned. ‘You’re not a burden.’

Catherine smiled kindly at her daughter. ‘That’s very sweet of you to say, love, but I am, and I know I am. You should be out there making a life for yourself, not stuck here looking after me.’

‘I don’t care, I’m not leaving you on your own with him,’ Olivia insisted.

‘If the worst should happen …’ Catherine began.

‘It won’t as long as I’m here,’ Olivia said obstinately.

Her mother smiled uncertainly. ‘You must realise I’m getting worse, Liv.’

‘’Course I do.’

‘My illness will win in the end, and I want you to promise me that you’ll leave Aigburth Drive when it does.’

Olivia stared at her in astonishment. ‘Don’t talk like that!’

Her mother drew as deep a breath as her lungs would allow. ‘If the rumours of war are true, then there’ll be plenty of opportunities. Promise me you’ll grasp them with both hands.’

Olivia nodded reluctantly. ‘I promise – not that it’ll be necessary, mind you.’

A brief smile of relief swept across Catherine’s features. ‘Good girl.’

Olivia could see what was happening to her mother, but she believed in her heart that something would come along at the eleventh hour – either a cure for her illness, or her mother would make a miraculous recovery and all would be well, just as long as Olivia stayed by her side.

Chapter Two

March 1940

A slow smile formed on Ted’s lips as he read his next posting. He turned the letter to show Reg, a pal from initial training. Reg nodded approvingly. ‘RAF Speke – looks like the boy’s going home after all.’

Ted nodded hesitantly. ‘I never thought I’d go back to Liverpool.’

Reg shrugged. ‘It’ll give you a chance to catch up with all your old mates.’

‘I’ve not been back in sixteen years,’ Ted said. ‘I very much doubt whether I’d recognise any of them.’

‘What about family? Surely you’ve got family back home?’

‘An aunt by marriage and her kids,’ Ted conceded. ‘Might be a bit of a shock having me turn up on their doorstep.’

Reg frowned. ‘You’ve never said why you left Liverpool in the first place. Was it a family feud?’

Ted ran a finger around his shirt collar. ‘Nothing like that. Dad got an offer to become a partner in his pal’s car business.’

‘That’s right, I remember now, you did say summat about it.’ Reg glanced at him. ‘Not a close family then?’

Ted shook his head. ‘Not particularly. Auntie Bea didn’t want nothing to do with me and me dad once her husband died.’