‘There’s no need for that,’ said Ivy, appearing in the doorway to the basement. ‘I’m fine, really I am.’

Rita shot out of her chair and hugged her. ‘I would have come the minute I heard,’ she said, ‘but Peggy told me you were being looked after by Andy and Gloria.’

Ivy returned her hug and nodded, her little face drawn and shadowed by the tears she’d shed. ‘I know you would have,’ she murmured, ‘but I just needed to be with Andy for a while to take it all in and plan what to do next.’

She drew from the embrace and went to kiss Peggy’s cheek. ‘Thanks for dropping off my stuff, Auntie Peg, and for being there when Andy got back.’

‘Do you want some breakfast?’ Cissy gave Ivy a sympathetic squeeze on her arm.

Ivy shook her head and gave a wan smile. ‘Thanks, but I ’ad something at Gloria’s.’ She turned back to Peggy. ‘I ain’t staying fer long, Auntie Peg. I’m just ’ere to pack a few things, ’cos me and Andy are going to London to sort stuff out and thank Mrs De Vries for all she done, and then I’m going on to Salisbury to see Georgie and Elsie, and make sure they ain’t too upset.’

‘But you can’t go all that way alone,’ protested Peggy. ‘Andy should be with you.’

‘He’s got shifts to do at the fire station, and although John Hicks offered to give him some time off, we can’t afford to lose out on the money, especially now I’ve got the kids to think about.’

‘As I said before, you can bring them back here,’ said Peggy. ‘It will mean a bit of shifting about with the rooms, but it’s no bother, really it isn’t.’

Ivy was tearful as she gave Peggy a hug. ‘I don’t know what I’d do without yer,’ she said gruffly. ‘But don’t go to any trouble just yet, Auntie Peg. I could be away for a while, and I need to see how the land lies down there before I bring ’em home. They might be too upset to travel straight away – and then of course, me brothers could turn up and ’ave different ideas about what to do.’ With that she hurried out of the kitchen and ran upstairs, Rita following closely behind her.

The mood in the kitchen had changed with Ivy’s arrival, and once the food had been eaten, the table was quietly cleared, and the crockery washed and dried almost in silence until Cordelia suggested they should have a whip-round to help Ivy with the train fares.