‘He’s only teasing Cadi,’ said Jill as she held up a mirror for Cadi to inspect her appearance. ‘You know what boys are like.’

Twisting her head from side to side in order to see her hair from all angles, Cadi smiled at her reflection. ‘I certainly do, and I hope you see what I mean about needing a room of my own, Alun didn’t even call out mam, I could’ve been in my vest and knickers, or even stackers for all he knew!’

‘I don’t know what you want us to do darling. We just can’t afford to rent a bigger house,’ she looked around the musty smelling room, ‘we can barely afford this one.’

‘I don’t mean to moan, and I know you and dad work all the hours you can, the boys too, I just wish …’

‘I know sweetheart, but it won’t be forever,’ assured her mother. ‘You’ll be married with kiddies of your own one of these days.’

‘I’m only sixteen mam! I’ve years ahead of me yet and I’m not even certain I want kids,’ she rolled her eyes, ‘knowing my luck they’d all be boys!’

A man’s voice yelled out to them from the bottom of the stairs, it was her father. ‘Are you two going to stay up there all day?’

Jill called back. ‘Coming!’ She smiled at her daughter who stood in front of the window, a shaft of sunlight emphasising her silhouette. ‘You wait ’til your father sees you, he’ll be that proud!’

Her mother opened the door and they descended the stairs to where Dewi and her brothers stood waiting. Cadi blushed as her father nodded approvingly. ‘By God, we’ll have to fight them off with sticks.’

Cadi waited for the usual taunts from her brothers, but it seemed that for once, her presence had left them speechless.

The Rose Queen fete was a special day in the Rhos calendar, and everyone who could, attended. It was a chance for people to let their hair down and forget about work. The girls would wear their finest dresses and the boys would be on the lookout for a future wife. Deals would be done, new friendships made and old ones strengthened.

Cadi had arrived with her family, accompanied by their next-door neighbours, the Hardings, whose daughter Poppy happened to be Cadi’s best friend.

‘You look like a real queen,’ breathed Poppy as she hooked her arm through Cadi’s. ‘Your mam’s done a grand job with your hair and as for that dress! You’d never guess it had once been used as a sheet!’ Poppy grinned, ‘I know what it’s like to be part of a mining family, nowt stays clean for long, yet your dress is whiter than a cloud. How you managed that sharing a room with three boys I’ll never know, but mining boys?’ She shook her head. ‘Hats off to your mam, is all I can say.’