‘Well, if you don’t mind me saying you’re looking very fetching yourself today,’ John said gallantly and Cissie giggled.

‘Get away wi’ you. Flattery will get you everywhere.’ And then she hurried off to help with all the last-minute details with a happy flush on her cheeks.

By mid-afternoon the garden and the house were teeming with people. The wine and beer were flowing like water and everyone was having a fine old time. The children’s laughter floated on the air as they raced about the lawns and Sunday was transported back in time. There were so many of the children she and Tom had cared for there, all grown up with families of their own now. There was Flora and Jamie, Janet, her late beloved Kitty’s friend, and so many more that it took her all her time to catch a moment with each of them. And then there were all the people that had come from the surrounding villages, Witherley, Fenny Drayton, Mancetter and Hartshill. Some people had even come from Nuneaton town.

As evening descended George lit the lanterns that he and Cissie had hung from the trees and John sat down to plonk out some well-known tunes on the piano on the terrace, and suddenly everyone was up dancing, feeling happy and full after the lovely meal they had eaten.

They sang along to some of Gracie Fields’s much-loved songs: ‘Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye’, ‘Sally’, and Vera Lynn’s ‘White Cliffs of Dover’. But as the tempo increased, soon they were boogying to the ‘Lambeth Walk’ and even Sunday and Cissie were persuaded to get up and join in the fun for a time, till Cissie declared breathlessly, ‘Phew, I don’t know about you but I reckon I’m getting’ too old fer this lark, I’m afraid. I think I’ll sit this one out an’ leave it to the young ’uns.’

‘And I’ll sit it out with you.’ Sunday smiled as they claimed two seats and sat back to watch the merriment. They both became quiet then as they thought of the loved ones that could not be with them. Tom, David and Giles.

At one point, Sunday glanced towards Kathy who was trying to get a great lump of jelly out of Daisy’s hair and when she saw the wistful expression on her daughter’s face, she knew that she was thinking of David too. Livvy, meanwhile, was dancing with Thomas who was red in the face and giggling.

As the evening wore on people began to drift away but not before they had assured Sunday that it had been one of the best parties they had ever attended. The men had drunk the barrels dry and Sunday noted with amusement that they swayed slightly as their wives ushered them down the drive.