‘Never mind that,’ said Dolly firmly. ‘That growing baby needs nourishment. It’s our job to see that it gets it. So you finish that ginger beer and then let’s see what we’ve got in the larder. You, my girl, are going to have a slap-up lunch, whether you like it or not. And I’ll join you. At last we’ve got something to celebrate.’ Her voice caught, despite her best efforts to be positive, because whatever happened, Eddy wouldn’t be here to see it. A single tear escaped the corner of her eye. Then she resolutely dashed it away. He’d be looking down on her from the Heaven he most surely was in and he’d be expecting her to take care of Violet and the child when it came. She couldn’t let him down.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Nancy stared gloomily out of the bus window as the ruined streets of the city centre passed before her eyes. The sunshine made the roads hot and dusty, and the buses were stuffy. It was hardly worth dressing up for her WVS shift. Everything got covered in a fine layer of the dust, making her feel grimy before she’d even begun.

She’d almost not come, she felt so low. The alternatives were worse, though. Staying in with her detested mother-in-law was to be avoided at all costs. The old bag had dared to take on the mantle of grieving for Eddy, adding it to her list of woes. Nancy bristled with fury at the idea. Eddy used to do a painfully accurate impersonation of the whingeing old woman. Now to hear Mrs Kerrigan go on, you’d have thought he was her favourite, a treasured member of the family.

The usual escape route of heading round to her mother’s house was also more difficult now. The whole place reeked of sorrow – and no wonder. Nancy wasn’t immune to feeling bereaved at her brother’s death. She’d been truly fond of him, and knew he’d been a good brother to her, not tormenting her or teasing her in front of his friends. She’d miss him and his calm ways, the fact he would never let her wind him up, seeing through her temper tantrums and letting her quieten down in her own time. He’d been a breath of fresh air in the crowded atmosphere of Empire Street, and there hadn’t been anyone else quite like him. She’d popped round earlier to drop off Georgie – Dolly had begged her to do this more often now, as it was one of the few things that brought Violet out of herself. She’d been in and out as fast as possible, unable to meet her mother’s eye. When all was said and done, Dolly was her rock, and to see her so shaken hurt Nancy to the core. It was all too painful to think about.