‘Look, can I trust you to watch your sister for a little while?’ Ben asked Thomas. ‘I saw a fish and chip shop just down the road. I’ll run and get us all some, that’ll make you both feel better, won’t it? And then we can snuggle down in our beds and get warm.’

Thomas nodded hesitantly and Ben slipped away leaving the children alone.

‘I want to go home,’ Daisy whined tearfully.

‘So do I,’ Thomas admitted, bitterly regretting ever agreeing to go with Ben in the first place. They huddled together, listening to every little sound that reached them from the road outside.

Soon Ben returned bearing three small parcels wrapped in newspaper. ‘Here we are.’ He placed a parcel each on their laps. ‘Lovely, piping-hot fish, chips and mushy peas.’

The children ate every scrap and did feel a little better with their stomachs full. They then got undressed down to their underwear and scrambled into bed and despite feeling so homesick they were fast asleep in no time, their arms tightly wrapped about each other.

Tomorrow I shall tell them who I really am, Ben promised himself as he stared down at their little faces. They’re bound to love me and want to be with me when they know that I’m their real dad. On that comforting thought he too climbed into bed and slept.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Early in December, the residents of Treetops sat in the kitchen listening to the radio, their faces grave as they heard that Japan was now at war with the United States and Britain. Several hours earlier 360 Japanese warplanes had made a huge surprise attack on the US Pacific fleet in its home base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

‘The Yanks will become involved now,’ George said solemnly. ‘An’ it might not be a bad thing. We need all the help we can get at the minute.’

Sunday nodded in agreement as she glanced towards Kathy, who was standing at the window staring off down the drive, just as she had every single day since the children had gone missing. The police were still doing their best to find them but up to now their search had been fruitless and it was as if the children had disappeared off the face of the earth as the endless days stretched on.

Sunday doubted if Kathy had even heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor. She listened keenly for news of London, terrified that it was being bombed again, but if it was about anything else, she turned away. All she could think about were the children, which was understandable. She had not been to the hospital once since they had gone missing, but Matron had been very understanding about it and had even taken the trouble to visit Kathy at home when she’d found out what had happened.