Mags had donned her flared-bottom trousers and they were flapping around her legs. Her Fair Isle jumper had been knitted by the local women and she loved it. It had been the buying of one of these jumpers, when she’d first come to Portpatrick, that had led her to employ the women to knit items for the shop, which she and Betsy had originally started along with dear Montel. ‘I’m excited to see your new lines, Betsy. Ella’s in the market for a Fair Isle jumper like mine. She’s had to borrow warm clothing from me and it’s far too big for her.’

‘I love them. I saw in a magazine that all the film stars are wearing them. There was a picture of Rita Hayworth in one, and she looked gorgeous, as you do, Mags.’

Betsy chimed in, ‘I’m too busty for them, but they are popular. The fishermen love them.’ They laughed at this and Betsy reddened. ‘Eeh, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s your minds.’ This made them giggle even more.

Lonia made things worse. ‘The fishermen like your busty? What’s a busty?’

Mags thought she would burst and had to bend over double to stop her stomach hurting. Lonia skipped ahead. You never knew, with that one, if she was being cheeky or not, as she had a talent for making fun.

As they turned onto the road that ran along the sea wall, Ella gasped. ‘Oh, it is so beautiful!’

Mags beamed. She loved it when others praised her beloved Portpatrick. It was a timeless place, with nothing changing, year in, year out. Just the folk that peopled it, as they gave way to another generation.

Ella loved the shop, and especially the intricately designed Fair Isle jumper she bought. And she took to Susan and Rosie immediately, chatting away with them both.

‘So, you’re a nurse, Rosie. We’ll have a lot in common.’

‘Aye, but you nursed in the thick of things. I haven’t, and it makes me feel a bit of a fraud.’

‘No, don’t feel like that. If all nurses went abroad, who would look after the people here, and who would nurse the returning wounded? Your job is of great value. Look, I wanted to talk to you. Are you able to go for a walk with me?’

‘Aye, I don’t see why not. Ma, me and Ella are going for a walk – we want to talk nursing and it’ll bore you all.’

Betsy smiled over at Ella. A smile that said she was grateful to her.

Outside, Rosie took a defensive stance. ‘I hope this isn’t set up by me ma. She’s allus on at me to get back to work.’