Sunday saw the sense in what she said. Perhaps Maggie was right? If she was, then Victor Dawes had paid the ultimate price for his wickedness. And now that Maggie no longer had to live in fear of seeing him again, she, like Kitty, could start to put her sorry past behind her.

‘It’s over! I just heard on the wireless that the war is finally over!’ Ben announced joyously as he burst into the drawing room on the blustery morning of 11 November 1918.

Everyone began to hug each other and shake hands; even Kitty, who was normally so quiet, raised a smile. Then Ben suddenly grabbed Maggie and began to waltz her about the room, much to everyone’s amusement.

‘What a Christmas this is going to be,’ Tom cried as he hurried away to fetch a bottle of wine. ‘I think we should drink a toast to peace at last!’

By the time he returned, the church bells all over the land were ringing and Tom hastily filled some glasses and passed them around. They were all aware that the war had cost millions of lives and that today would be filled with sadness for those whose loved ones would not be returning. The empty stables also told a story. Even so, it was a time for rejoicing.

For the people at Treetops, the last few weeks had been eventful to say the least. First, they had welcomed Kitty and Maggie home with open arms. Somehow Maggie’s confession to Sunday had brought them closer than ever. The Daweses’ house had been put up for sale on Maggie’s instructions and was now sold, and for now the proceeds were sitting in the bank until Maggie decided what she wanted to do with all the money. Until then, Sunday and Tom had promised her that she had a home with them for as long as she wanted. Their little evacuees had returned to their families the month before, and ever since then, the household had been adjusting to the new peace and quiet. The remaining young people that Sunday and Tom had cared for had also grown up and left, and the twins had been adopted, and for the first time in years Treetops had no children racing along its corridors. But Sunday knew it wouldn’t be like that for long. Kitty’s baby was due soon and she could hardly wait for it to be born. Kitty had come out of the terrible lethargy she had sunk into after Richard’s betrayal, but there was a kind of ethereal quality about her that worried Sunday. Despite all their best attempts to get her to eat, her body was painfully thin while her belly was so enormous that Tom often teased her that he was afraid she might pop.

When Kitty had first come home to a royal welcome, both Sunday and Tom had been touched to see how devoted to her Maggie was, and it did Sunday’s heart good to see how close the two young women had become. Sunday had also noticed how kind Ben was to Maggie and how the girl seemed to glow when she was in his company. She had quietly hoped that a romance between them might develop but up to now there had been no sign of it. She lived in hope that it might still come about, and for now she was content with the way things were going, especially with the wonderful news that Tom had just given them, that this war to end all wars had itself come to an end.