Ivan approached the car. ‘Bye, Miss Queenie. I’m going to miss you,’ he grinned, showing his rotting teeth. ‘And you, Viv.’

Queenie managed to swallow the bile that entered her mouth. ‘Yeah, bye.’

Patrick watched the scene with interest. His mother had told him to. He earned his living by being an illegal bookie and would bet his car on Ivan being a problem. The geezer looked like a nonce. He started the engine. ‘Ready, girls?’

‘Yes,’ Queenie said, putting her hands under her legs, so Viv wouldn’t see them trembling. But Patrick didn’t miss a thing.

‘Bye Betty, bye John, bye Ivan,’ Viv smiled. ‘I’ll write to you very soon, Betty. I promise.’

‘Bye, girls,’ said Betty and John in unison.

As the car pulled away, the last thing Queenie heard was the monster shouting, ‘Bye, Miss Queenie.’

Pretending she was tired, Queenie closed her eyes on the journey home. She was so relieved to have got away from the farmhouse, yet was dreading seeing family and friends in case they guessed something was wrong with her.

Patrick and Viv were chatting away happily. Queenie’s ears pricked up when she heard Daniel had a new girlfriend. But she wasn’t that bothered. Not now. She could never imagine herself wanting a lad to touch her again, even Daniel.

Knowing she had to pull herself together, Queenie yawned and pretended to wake up as they neared home. The sight that greeted her eyes as they entered London was shocking and dismal. Houses, buildings, shops, pubs, all reduced to piles of rubble. ‘Jesus wept!’ Queenie mumbled.

‘Oh my God, Queenie! Thank God Mum sent us away,’ said Viv.

Patrick looked in the interior mirror to size up Queenie’s reaction.

Queenie flinched. She would rather have been blown up by a bomb than being forced to endure what she had.

Molly Wade was elated yet stunned when she walked into her home to see her two daughters sitting on the sofa. ‘Oh, my babies! What you doing ’ere?’ she squealed with delight.

Viv cried and hugged her mother for dear life. ‘It’s so good to see you, Mum. We missed you so much.’

‘We couldn’t stay there no longer. Betty and John were lovely to us, but we were so bored. There’s nothing to do there. Both of us have been ill recently too. Viv had mumps, I caught a bug and we just wanted to be ’ere, with you,’ explained Queenie.

Queenie felt her eyes well up as her mother hugged her. She wished she was still the same carefree girl who’d hugged her mum goodbye eight months ago. ‘Is Dad at work?’

‘Sit down, girls. I’ll make us a cuppa. There’s lots I have to tell you.’

Molly Wade reappeared with a tray of tea and biscuits, sat in between her two daughters on the sofa and held their hands. ‘How did you get home by the way?’

‘Patrick O’Leary picked us up in his car. We wanted to surprise you,’ said Queenie.