He took Ben’s hand then and shook it as the two men stared at each other with happy tears in their eyes. And all the time Tom was thinking, Why didn’t I see the resemblance before? Ben had dark hair just like his, his eyes were the same colour as his, and they were of a similar height. Eeh, there was no doubt about it, life had some funny cards up her sleeve, so she did!

That evening when Sunday climbed into bed beside him she asked, ‘How did Ben take the news?’ They’d had little time to talk as two of the younger children were recovering from chickenpox so she had spent the majority of the day looking after them up in the nursery.

‘As you’d expect,’ Tom responded, turning over to her and leaning up on one elbow. ‘He was shocked, as we were – but pleased, I think. At least the lad knows where he came from now.’

‘Good.’ Sunday tossed her long plait across her shoulder and turned her back on Tom as she struggled to keep a check on her emotions. Tears were never far away at present. ‘Then I’m very pleased for you both. You have a legitimate heir now when anything happens to us.’

Tom frowned as she dimmed the oil lamp and lay as far away from him as was possible, then there was only silence save for the sound of an owl in the branches of the cedar tree outside the bedroom window.

‘Things are looking bad abroad,’ Tom commented the following week as he sat reading the newspaper after breakfast. ‘There’s a lot of unrest. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t end up at war with Germany.’ He always read the newspapers religiously from cover to cover each day and was very well informed about world events.

‘Why should trouble abroad affect us?’ Sunday asked as she poured herself another cup of tea.

‘War has a way o’ suckin’ different countries in, but I hope I’m wrong,’ Tom commented distractedly, but then brightening his tone he asked, ‘An’ what have you got planned for today, pet?’

Sunday was still a little reticent with him although she had officially welcomed Ben into the family and told him that she was proud to be his stepmother. But Tom was missing the free and easy, all-enveloping warmth they had shared before the revelation about Ben. Still, give her time to get used to things, he told himself, they’re bound to come right in the end.

‘I’m taking all the children into town to have their photographs taken,’ Sunday informed him. ‘I thought it would be nice to have one of all of them together on the mantelshelf and I’m told the new photographic studio in town uses all the latest equipment.’

‘That’s if you can get the little ones to sit still for long enough,’ he quipped. Normally, Sunday would have giggled but today she just shrugged.