‘Stupid old harridan,’ he muttered angrily as he ground the feather into the carpet with the heel of his shoe. ‘It’s a shame they can’t find something better to do with their time!’

‘The trouble is, they’re saying that soon all men under forty won’t be given a choice about enlisting,’ Kitty told him tremulously. ‘They will be sending for the ones fit enough to fight whether they wish to go or not. What will you do then?’

‘I shall simply go to ground until it’s all over,’ Richard answered icily and, for the first time, Kitty felt ashamed of him.

Despite all of Miss Fox’s efforts to make Christmas Day a special time, it fell flat. In spite of the food shortages she had managed to produce a very good-sized goose, which had been cooked to perfection, and there was also a large and spicy plum pudding that had been soaked in brandy for weeks, yet for different reasons, none of the residents of Brunswick Villa had much appetite.

As usual, Ruby was pleasantly merry by lunchtime, Maggie was quiet and Kitty couldn’t help but remember the happy Christmases she had spent at Treetops Manor with Sunday and Tom. Even Miss Fox was sad as she thought of little Arthur and wondered how he was faring. They had received one very heavily censored letter from him only the week before, telling them that he was now in Flanders, where she knew from the papers the fighting was fierce.

After dinner, they all opened their presents. Miss Fox had bought Ruby, Kitty and Maggie very pretty silk scarves and Ruby had bought Kitty a charming little gold bracelet, which Kitty suspected had been chosen by Foxy. They exchanged all the presents politely and made the necessary noises then Kitty and Maggie volunteered to clear up while the kindly cook, who had put together a large basket of Christmas fare for Arthur’s mother and her offspring, put her feet up by the fire to enjoy a glass of sherry and a mince pie. In truth, the girls were glad of something to do. Kitty had thought she would spend the day with Richard, but he had disappointed her the week before when he had informed her that he would be travelling to his family’s home on Christmas Eve to spend the holiday with them in their country home.

‘So why didn’t he invite you to go with him?’ Maggie had asked in her usual forthright manner. ‘If you are a couple, surely it’s time he took you to meet his parents?’

Kitty had simply shrugged. She had hoped that would be the case too, and the hurt went deep. All in all, it was turning out to be the worst Christmas ever, Kitty thought as she fingered the gold locket that hung around her neck and thought of Sunday.

At that moment, could they have known it, the soldiers were enjoying a break from fighting. A truce had been called for Christmas Day and the men were making the best of it. In the morning, they had attended a service given by the hospital chaplain and they had sung Christmas carols as they thought of their loved ones back at home. The Christmas dinner was the best meal they’d had since enlisting and when it was over they were shocked to see the Germans warily crossing the field waving white handkerchiefs.