Of course, she couldn’t avoid going home – not for ever. She missed seeing her grandad, who wasn’t too well now, and her mother and stepfather; even, to her surprise, Lilian. Since she had been away from home, she had begun to feel strangely sorry for Lilian. Detached from home, Kate could see things a little more objectively. Her young sister was a strange girl. She had proved to be clever, academically clever, and Esther’s pride in her younger daughter knew no bounds. Two years before war had broken out she had passed the scholarship to go to the local Grammar School.

‘University, that’s where our Lilian’s going when this stupid war’s over,’ Esther vowed.

‘What’s the use of a woman going to university?’ Will Benson would growl. ‘Ya don’t need book learning to care for a husband and family?’

‘Why shouldn’t she go?’ Esther would bristle. ‘Women ought to have the same chance as men.’ And under her breath she would mutter, ‘Would have saved me a lot of trouble if Squire’d have thought that years ago and given me the tenancy of the farm straight off! And what about our Kate then? Doin’ her bit for the war, ain’t she, alongside the fellers?’

‘Huh!’ Beaten in the same old argument, Will would stamp off to his room slamming the door as he went, leaving Esther triumphant.

But Kate was no longer jealous of her younger sister. In fact, she felt rather sorry for her. It was difficult to live up to the high expectations of proud parents.

‘Oh, Kate, it’s good to have you home,’ Esther said, hugging her. ‘Come on in. I’ve a rabbit pie in the oven and ya grandad’s feeling better today. We’ll all sit down to dinner together. How’ve ya been?’

‘Not bad, Mam.’

There was a moment’s pause as Esther held her at arm’s length and studied her face. Then she sighed gently. ‘I can see you’ve heard the news, then.’

Kate nodded and bit her lip. ‘He came to the camp to – to tell me himself.’

‘That must have taken a bit o’ doing,’ Esther murmured, and Kate saw the truth in her words.

‘I suppose so.’ She sat down in the Windsor chair by the range which still warmed the kitchen and cooked the food. Nothing had changed here at Brumbys’ Farm, and in her present state of unhappiness Kate found a reassuring security in that fact. She leaned her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes. ‘Oh Mam, what am I going to do?’