The last photograph stood at the very back of the shelf, half-obscured by a letter propped in front of it. Curious, Ella pushed the envelope to one side and found herself looking at a fading, sepia photograph of a young man in uniform. He was standing stiffly, as if he was hardly daring to breathe and in his eyes there was a look of – not exactly fear, Ella decided, he just looked sort of – lost. The girl frowned thoughtfully and put her head on one side, pondering. He looked strangely familiar, but she knew it wasn’t her Grandpa Godfrey as a young man because the man in the photograph had black curly hair and dark eyes whereas Jonathan Godfrey had fair hair, turning grey now. He was not very tall either, certainly not as tall as Grandpa . . .

‘What are you doing in here, Missy? Nosing into things that dun’t concern ya?’

The voice made her jump and she swivelled round to see her grandmother standing in the doorway. Ella had been so intent upon the family pictures that she had not heard footsteps mounting the stairs.

The excuse came easily to her lips for although it had not been the initial reason she had ventured upstairs, it was now the truth. ‘I wanted the lav, Nannie. I can’t find it.’

The woman gave a snort of laughter. ‘We dun’t have such fancy things as an indoor lav in the country, Missy. It’s outside.’

‘So’s ours at home. It’s across the back yard,’ Ella said and began to cross towards her grandmother and the door, making no apology for having been caught in Esther’s bedroom.

‘And dun’t call me “Nannie”’ Esther said. ‘Meks me sound like a goat. You call me Grannie.’

Ella stared at her and then suddenly the young girl’s face broke into an impish grin. Her blue eyes danced with mischief. ‘All right – Gran.’

It was a half-way concession without being complete capitulation.

Her grandmother’s green eyes flashed fire. ‘Grannie.’

Boldly, the girl’s gaze never faltered. ‘Gran,’ she said, calmly but decisively.

The battle of wills had begun.

Two

Her grandmother’s strong fingers were digging into Ella’s shoulder as she found herself being propelled down the narrow stairs, through the living room, kitchen and scullery and out of the back door. Turning to the right towards smaller brick buildings attached to the main house, they passed one door and came to a second. Esther flung this open.