‘No, leave it as it is. I want to see the stars.’

Cissie sat back down. Outside the window was a black velvet sky with millions of stars twinkling, and taking Cissie’s hand Sunday whispered, ‘I never had a sister, Cissie, but if I had, I would have wanted her to be exactly like you. You have been my rock through all these long years and all the trials and tribu­lations, and I want you to know that I love you dearly.’

‘I love you an’ all, yer daft old thing,’ Cissie said chokily as she sat close, holding Sunday’s hand.

They settled into a companionable silence and shortly after that Sunday smiled and seemed to focus her attention on the shadows at the end of the bed. Cissie felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she followed Sunday’s gaze, and just for a moment, she could have sworn she saw a shape there. She blinked and it was gone, and turning back to Sunday she saw that she was holding her hand out with a beautiful smile on her face that wiped away the years like magic.

‘Tom … I knew you’d come,’ she sighed and at the same instant Cissie felt the gentle pressure on her fingers slacken as Sunday’s eyes closed for the very last time.

‘Sunday … wake up … can yer hear me?’ Tears were streaming down Cissie’s plump cheeks as she gently shook her beloved friend’s shoulders, and yet already she knew that she had finally gone to a better place to be with the man she loved.

Bending, she placed a gentle kiss on her friend’s cheek before stumbling blindly over to the window and there she stopped abruptly as she stared down at the garden below.

Lanterns were strung in the trees and somewhere an orchestra was playing as a young Sunday in her beautiful ivory wedding gown glided across the lawn in the arms of Tom, her handsome bridegroom, in the moonlight. They were laughing and happy as they looked adoringly at each other and slowly Cissie smiled through her tears. Sunday’s passing would mark the end of an era and Cissie would always be grateful for being a part of her life.

‘That’s it, me lovelies,’ she whispered. ‘You have yer last dance an’ may yer both rest in eternal peace.’

Acknowledgements

As always, I’d like to say a huge thank you to my amazing team at Bonnier for all their help and support during the writing of my Days of the Week collection. I can’t believe it’s ended!

Also special thanks to a very special lady, my wonderful agent Sheila Crowley, and to my copyeditor Gillian Holmes, who always helps to put the final polish on the finished book with me.