‘They may well be fer the likes of us, but you expect royalty to set a better example.’

In the end George and Sunday smiled at each other and let her rant on. As George quite rightly pointed out, ‘There ain’t no use doin’ any other when our Cissie has a bee in her bonnet.’

The following week Livvy came home from the office all excited. ‘Some of the girls at work were saying that a chap called Billy Butlin is opening a holiday camp in Skegness in April and we thought we might go for a week in the summer, if that’s all right with you, Mum?’

It would be Livvy’s first holiday on her own without either herself or her mother to chaperone her and Sunday’s first instinct was to refuse to let her go but then she knew that wouldn’t be fair. Livvy was a sensible girl and should be allowed to grow up so she forced a smile and told her, ‘It would do you good. Why don’t you ask Kathy if she can book some time off to go with you?’

The girls had always holidayed in the South of France with Sunday’s mother, until she had passed away, and Sunday thought a break would do them good.

‘Huh! I doubt she’d do that.’ Livvy pinched a scone from the rack Cissie had just taken from the oven and promptly had her knuckles rapped with a wooden spoon. ‘All she ever does is work nowadays.’

Sunday sighed. Both her girls were very attractive yet neither of them had shown any interest in walking out with a young man or marriage as yet. Admittedly Livvy had gone on more than a few dates but nothing had ever come of it, and Kathy was still on very friendly terms with the handsome Dr Deacon. He was clearly besotted with Kathy, but it seemed his feelings were not returned. But then they were still both very young and had plenty of time so Sunday wasn’t complaining; she loved having them at home, but she worried about how they would fare if anything happened to her. After all, no one lived forever so it would give her peace of mind to know that they were happy and settled before her time came.

The following morning Cissie was washing up when she heard Bill Dewhurst’s coal lorry pull into the yard, so she hastily wiped her hands on her apron and went out to greet him.

‘Mornin’, Bill. Dump the order in the coal shed, would yer, then come into the kitchen an’ I’ll have a nice cup o’ tea waitin’.’