‘Oh, I will,’ Violet assured her, keeping her smile in place until her customer had left. Then she collapsed back on to the stool with a groan. January couldn’t come soon enough for her, Christmas or no Christmas.

‘Don’t you think you’re asking a bit much of Tommy?’ Sarah demanded as Nancy breezed through the kitchen of their parents’ house. ‘He’ll have done a full day’s work, he’ll be tired, though he’d never admit that to you. But you have to remember he’s only fourteen.’

Nancy shrugged. ‘Don’t be such a killjoy, Sarah. He’ll love it. He enjoys looking after Georgie. And Georgie loves it, don’t you?’

The little boy nodded. ‘Can I stay with Tommy?’ he asked.

‘It’ll only be for a couple of hours, and then he can take you back to Granny Kerrigan and she’ll give you your tea,’ Nancy assured him.

George’s face fell. ‘Don’t like Granny Kerrigan’s tea.’

Nancy couldn’t very well say that she knew exactly what he meant. ‘Don’t be silly, there’s nothing wrong with her tea. If you’re good she might give you a treat.’ Even as she said it, Nancy knew there was fat chance of that, but she had to get away with this somehow.

George made a face as if he knew it too.

‘So, Gloria’s back in town on one of her whistle-stop tours, then?’ Sarah tried to sound as if she wasn’t impressed, even if she was secretly pleased that she had a connection to one of the nation’s favourite entertainers.

‘That’s right,’ Nancy gushed. ‘She’ll do one big concert before Christmas, then go up to Scotland, and then do one more in Liverpool on her way back to London. After that she’s off on some ENSA trip and I don’t know when I’ll see her again. So it’s tonight or never, really.’

Georgie looked up. ‘Can I see Auntie Gloria?’

Nancy bent down to his level. ‘Georgie, you’d be bored silly. Mummy and Auntie Gloria will just be sitting and chatting and there’ll be nothing for you to do. You’ll have much more fun with Tommy.’ She felt a little guilty but not enough to make her change her plans.

George didn’t look too unhappy about being told no. He was used to it, after all. He scuffed his shoe along the edge of the rag rug and wondered if Tommy might let him have a go on the back of his bike. He decided to keep this idea to himself.