Mrs Godfrey laughed. ‘There’s a lot worse goes on down this street behind the lace curtains than you bringing a baby into the world, my dear. But if it troubles you, you can always wear a wedding ring and call yourself Mrs Hilton. There’s lots of women on their own now with this war on, and no one bothers to ask questions any more. But we’re not worried one way or the other, are we, Peggy love?’

Peggy was standing beside Kate, looking down at her thoughtfully. ‘No, Mother, we’re not,’ she said absently.

Suddenly she sat down beside Kate and looked her full in the face. ‘Kate, you’re obviously still troubled as to what we think of you and how it will reflect upon us, aren’t you?’

Kate glanced down at the liquid in her cup. ‘Well, yes, you see, me mam . . .’

‘We know about your mother – Jonathan told us just enough to enable us to put two and two together . . .’

‘ . . . And make five,’ put in Mrs Godfrey.

Kate smiled wanly. ‘She – she was so upset. It’s always been so important to her, you see. In her eyes, I’ve done just about the worst thing I could have done.’

For a moment there was silence in the room. Peggy was still watching Kate then she took a deep breath and seemed to come to a decision. Kate saw her glance at her mother and raise her eyebrows as if seeking approval for something she was about to do.

‘It’s up to you, love,’ the older woman said quietly, obviously understanding her daughter’s meaning.

Peggy turned back to Kate and smiled gently. ‘You won’t remember much about the last war, you’d only be little. I was a young girl of eighteen when I met Michael. He worked with Jonathan and they volunteered together. We – fell very much in love, and we knew that any day he might be sent to France. So, we were going to get married – with the blessing of both our parents, even though we’d only known each other three months. The date was set and everything arranged and then his unit was posted overseas at short notice and all leave cancelled. He begged and pleaded with the authorities to allow him just a few days to get back here so that we could get married by special licence before he went. But he couldn’t get leave. He had to – to go without even seeing me again.’ Peggy’s hands were twisting in her lap now, but her voice remained strong and there was a tender smile on her lips as though her story brought back happy memories as well as the sad times. ‘A few weeks after he’d gone, I – I found I was carrying his child.’

Kate gasped. ‘Oh Peggy . . .’