Sid had been shocked, but not as angry as she’d feared. At first he’d said he’d think about it, but over the next few days he’d come round to the idea of being the father of the new baby. Nancy had been heartily relieved, even if she foresaw her life being consumed with taking care of all three of them – Georgie, the baby and this semi-invalid Sid. Well, they’d work something out. They’d have to. At least Georgie could say he had his daddy home again. Even if Nancy was for now sleeping on the sofa in the parlour.

The one thing she hadn’t raised, Nancy thought now, was where they would live. Come hell or high water, she would not spend one night more under her mother-in-law’s roof than she absolutely had to. The woman’s behaviour when Georgie had gone missing made it impossible. Nancy clenched her fists. She would not raise this new child in that poisonous atmosphere. Somehow she’d find a way for them to set up home elsewhere.

‘You’ve done it again,’ said Pop to Dolly, gazing in admiration at the row of tables, all covered with cloths or – when they’d run out of those – sheets, laden with sandwiches, pies and, in the centre of the row, the huge cake that Kitty had made. Everyone had contributed chairs and cutlery from their various houses and now sat around the tables, enjoying the food. Union Jack flags hung across the street, and the younger children all had matching red, white and blue hats, which Danny had brought back when he’d returned from work.

‘It was a team effort,’ said Dolly generously, although in truth she’d done most of the organising. She leant against Pop’s familiar frame and sighed. ‘Look at them, all together. They’re safe at last, Pop.’ She turned her face to his chest so that nobody would see her silent tears. ‘How I wish our Eddy was here to see it. There’s not a day goes by when I don’t think of him.’

‘I know,’ said Pop, putting his arm around his wife and remembering his brave son, lost for almost a year now. ‘Sure we’ll never forget him. He was the best son we could ever hope to have. Now it’s up to us to make sure his own children are brought up right.’

‘Yes, you’re right.’ Dolly swiftly dabbed her eyes with the edge of her apron. ‘They’ll want for nothing, those little twins. We’ll see to that, won’t we.’