It didn’t take long to clean the pocket-handkerchief bathroom and sweep the floors, and having washed the kitchen floor and polished up the back windows, she filled her bucket with fresh water and went out to the front to do the tiny bathroom window and then the big sitting room bay which was exposed to all the elements and needed cleaning at least once a week – which didn’t always happen as she was so busy trying to pack up her things in readiness to move to Stan’s, do her hours at the factory and her shifts at the pub.

Ruby really didn’t want to leave the bungalow and move in with Stan and April, for she felt right at home here, and would happily stay until Mike came home and they got married. But Shirley had gone back to London, and she couldn’t find anyone else she wanted to share with to help pay the rent – and she wasn’t about to accept charity from Cordelia who’d already been so kind to her.

She attacked the wet glass with added vigour, the crumpled newspaper drying it to a most satisfyingly squeaky-clean shine. Standing back and admiring the effect, she ran a damp cloth over the sill to rid it of bird droppings and general muck and considered the afternoon’s effort as a job well done, even if it had left her filthy.

‘Now that’s what I call a sight to gladden any man’s heart.’

Ruby whipped round as Mike strode through the gate, his eyepatch and dress uniform making him more handsome than ever. Her foot caught the bucket, tipping it over so the handle got entangled in her feet, which sent her stumbling to land with a thump on her bottom in the dirty puddle.

‘Mike. Oh, Mike,’ she gasped, going red with embarrassment. ‘This wasn’t how I wanted to welcome you home.’

He grinned and dropped his heavy kitbag on the garden path. ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ he drawled. ‘That was kinda neat, the way you did that and still stayed beautiful.’

Ruby erupted into giggles. ‘Don’t talk daft, you silly bugger. I look a right mess and now I’ve got a wet arse and all.’

He took her hand, pulled her to her feet and into his arms. ‘It’s a lovely arse, as you so delicately put it,’ he murmured, gently cupping her buttocks in his large hands to pull her closer. ‘And I look forward to inspecting it for bruises later,’ he teased. ‘For now, I’d like a kiss.’

Ruby sank against him and kissed him long and hard, not caring what the neighbours thought, or how much damage her dirty, damp dungarees were doing to his pristine uniform. When they finally drew apart they smiled at one another in the knowledge that the magic was still there and nothing had changed between them despite the two-year separation.