After he’d returned home from the war with his scars, there had been times when he had almost dared to let himself believe that Sunday truly loved him again. But then the girls had come along, and it felt as though they replaced him in her affections, and he was once again left out. After all, how could she ever love him as much as she did her own daughter? And as for Kathy, well, Kitty had always been everyone’s favourite – even his for a time – so it stood to reason that Kitty’s daughter would take that special place in Sunday’s heart.

If it hadn’t been for Maggie, he would have felt pushed aside. But Maggie had loved him and married him, and for the first time in his life he had discovered what it was to feel truly happy. He had thought things couldn’t get any better, but they had when she’d informed him that he was going to be a father. How he had looked forward to holding his child, his very own flesh and blood, in his arms, and to having his very own little family. But even that dream had been snatched away when both Maggie and his son had died in childbirth.

For years he had been haunted by the sight of his love lying pale and serene in her coffin with his tiny son nestled in her arms against her. Sometimes when he remembered, the pain was so intense that he was sure it would kill him. And then Kathy had declared her feelings for him, and he had seen a way to wreak revenge on everyone for the hurt he had suffered. But what was done was done now, there could be no going back to undo it, and he could only hope that Kathy would go on to meet a nice young man her own age.

Dragging himself from the edge of the bed he staggered across to the window and flipped aside the curtains, gasping with pain as the bright light attacked his eyes like daggers. Between the gaps in the warehouses he could see ships of all shapes and sizes bobbing in the murky water. He turned back and that was when he saw the official-looking document lying on the chest of drawers. As he lifted it and began to read his eyes stretched wide and his mouth fell open.

Will report for training in two weeks’ time … His mouth fell open as suddenly everything began to come back to him. He had been with Bean, his rather disreputable friend, and after spending some time with the young army chaps, he suddenly recalled Bean getting all patriotic and suggesting they should sign up to do their bit for king and country.