This was no good. She couldn’t stand still here. She walked swiftly across the room, over the threadbare rug and linoleum worn by three generations of Feenys, and flung herself out of the door and into the street. She didn’t care who saw her. She caught a flash of movement in the house across the road, which must mean that Kitty was back. She had been due to return yesterday, Rita had said, but they’d heard her train got in late at night and nobody had seen her yet. Under different circumstances, Violet might have gone across to say hello to this woman she’d heard so much about but scarcely knew, but that could wait.

She wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm. It had been kind of Dolly to make her the bolero out of reknitted wool from her old cardie, but secretly she didn’t like it – it itched and felt wrong across her shoulders. She stood in the best angle of sunlight she could find, and for a second or two her eyes were dazzled.

So she missed the moment that Eddy rounded the corner, a bulky figure in his chunky seaman’s jumper, his kitbag slung over his shoulder. He saw her first and broke into a run, the weight of his heavy bag as nothing to him now he could see her, her hand shielding her face like a visor against the bright sunbeams. As he got close to her he flung the bag to the ground and swept her into his arms, laughing as he did so. ‘Violet! I’m back!’

Violet laughed too and then she was half crying as well, full of relief and happiness, almost unable to believe he was here at last. She broke away to push open the front door and they fell inside, Eddy remembering at the last moment to drag his kitbag into the hallway, and then they were in the parlour, on the sofa, hugging each other as passionately as when they had been young newlyweds, eager to see what the other was like close up. Violet ran her hands along his back, sensing his muscles through the heavy wool of the jumper, as he pressed her to him and she knew she was where she belonged.

Finally Eddy pulled back and looked at her, drinking in the sight of his wife. ‘I was waiting for this for all those days at sea,’ he told her.

‘Me too,’ said Violet, her voice catching with emotion. ‘It’s been like forever, Eddy.’

‘It has.’ He dropped his head to the top of hers and breathed in, sensing the warmth of her. ‘I’ve been counting the minutes. Now I’m back and it’s for a whole week.’ He faced her again, his eyes alight.