‘Depends on the personal guide,’ he said, raising an eyebrow.

‘One might be available in about an hour when she finishes her shift,’ Nancy informed him. ‘She knows the place like the back of her hand, she was born and bred here, and could probably tell you a thing or two you couldn’t begin to imagine.’

‘Sounds just the ticket,’ he said, eyes alight with humour.

Nancy rose to her feet, not wincing as her swollen toes hit the ends of her shoes once more. She wouldn’t think about them. This was too good an opportunity to miss. It would most definitely take her mind off the trials of the morning, and if it meant her mother or sisters ended up looking after Georgie for a bit longer, well, serve them right, since they were so keen on babies and childcare. ‘In that case, why don’t you have a cup of tea or something, and wait here? Your own very special personal guide will be with you in no time at all.’

CHAPTER EIGHT

Violet stood at the parlour window, twitching the carefully starched net curtain. She’d always vowed she would never turn into one of those women who did this, nosy old gossips with nothing better to do, but today she couldn’t help herself. Eddy was due home this afternoon and she couldn’t stay still. If it had been a few degrees warmer she would have been standing out in the road waiting for him. The early April sunshine flooded the tired room with light, making the faded wallpaper almost golden, although Violet would never like it – the tangle of green stems that formed the pattern had always made her feel queasy. It added to her nerves. It had been so long. Would they find anything to say to each other? What if he’d changed?

Violet had worked in the shop that morning, opening up and dealing with the first rush of customers so that Rita could have a lie-in, knowing she would have been up half the night with Ellen. It had taken her mind off things, forcing her to concentrate on giving the right change, which she was never very good at, and picking up on the general mood of the dock workers. They were murmuring about a big offensive that was being planned – or that was the story they’d gathered from recent arrivals of overseas service personnel. Violet didn’t know how much truth there was in it but it was impossible to ignore – every man had had his pennyworth to add to the rumour mill. It made her uneasy, but then again she was all jitters today.