Gathering up the shawl, she made her way downstairs. Her legs were weary and reluctant. She didn’t know what was wrong with her – she’d never felt so tired before. Perhaps it was the strain of the war catching up with her, the constant sense of being on edge, and yet she couldn’t fathom why it would hit her now. They’d been in far greater danger before, dodging the bombs as they landed on the city, and especially here near the docks. All the while she had known that Eddy was in deep peril out on the Atlantic with the U-boats lying in wait. Yet she’d kept on without complaint. Even though they’d lived with the knowledge that the country was at imminent risk of invasion, she’d found the energy to get out of bed, do a day’s work, and live up to the expectation that she’d be the one to cheer people up.

Now, a couple of weeks after what everyone was calling D-day, news continued to be good and there was a cautious air of optimism around. She shared it, reasoning that Eddy was safer than he’d ever been, and that probably meant Jack was too – which made Rita more settled, and so Ellen was generally a happy baby. Maybe I just need a tonic, she thought, going into the parlour and setting the shawl on a side table. Then a glimpse of movement on the pavement outside caught her eye.

Rita was checking the shelves near the shop door, rearranging the jars of Marmite to make it look as if they had more than they really did, when she saw a figure draw up to the house opposite. For a moment she carried on counting the jars, making sure none of them had dust on their lids, and then it hit her. It was a telegram boy. He was propping his bicycle against the wall of her parents’ house. With her heart in her mouth, she watched what he did next. Perhaps he was going to knock at the door of a different house. For a terrifying moment she thought it might be her door; that he was coming with news of Jack. Then he took something from his pocket before rapping hard on the fading paintwork. In her heart of hearts, Rita knew this could mean only one thing.