‘It’s them that will have to put up with it,’ she said, ‘but on the other hand, it’ll be me that has to wash the bedding. Better to leave them both on the floor.’

Brendon struggled to get the barrow over the back step, and with the help of the girls managed to get his father out of the barrow and onto the hard, cold scullery floor. As Peggy and Pauline went to fetch pillows and blankets, he eyed the two men and couldn’t help but chuckle. It had certainly been a send-off to end all send-offs, and the memory of tonight would live with him for a long time.

And then he remembered that his grandad still had his ferrets tucked away in his coat. Gingerly searching the many pockets he found nothing but two dead and rather squashed rabbits. At some point during the crazy day Flora and Dora had escaped. And now they could be anywhere.

Peggy saw the funny side of it all and was glad to see that Pauline did too – eventually. Once Ron and Frank had been made reasonably comfortable on that hard concrete floor, Peggy served Brendon his portion of supper which she’d been keeping warm in the oven.

He regaled them with all that had happened during that eventful day, which made everyone laugh, and although Pauline was threatening to lose her sense of humour at the shame of it all, Peggy was delighted that he’d had such a rousing send-off. She watched him eat ravenously and gave him half of Frank and Ron’s share of the stew. They wouldn’t wake until morning, and it served them right to have to go without.

Once Brendon had eaten his fill, he spent a short while talking to his mother and aunt about Betty, and his hopes for their future, and then, because he had a very early train to catch the following morning, he pushed back from the table and went to kiss his mother goodnight.

Pauline had become tearful as the evening progressed, and as Brendon kissed her, she clung fiercely to him until he had to gently but firmly disentangle himself. ‘I’ll see you in the morning, Mum,’ he said, before carrying his kitbag up to the single room that had once been Cissy’s.

Pauline sobbed into Peggy’s shoulder as his footsteps faded on the stairs, her fear for her son mingled with anger at Frank for denying her the chance to spend Brendon’s last night at home in Tamarisk Bay. Peggy comforted her, and as Frank was still out for the count in the basement, she didn’t like the thought of Pauline crying herself to sleep in the big spare room at the top of the house, so had reluctantly offered to share her bed for the night.