‘Don’t fret, Doris,’ Peggy soothed. ‘We all chipped in with enough to cover her journey to Salisbury and back – although it was the devil’s own job making her accept it,’ she added with a rueful smile.

‘I do worry about her,’ said Doris. ‘It seems she plunges from one disaster to another, and none of it is her fault.’

‘I know what you mean, but there is some good news. Thanks to John Hicks, Andy’s got a full-time, well-paid job with Walthamstow Fire Brigade, and a nice flat goes with it. He’s due to start there at the beginning of June.’ Peggy poured the tea and changed the subject. ‘How did it go yesterday? And what’s Michael like?’

Doris shot her a beaming smile. ‘It was a bit awkward at first, naturally, but once the food was on the table, things improved. Michael’s a quiet man, but I sense he’s in possession of an inner steel which I suspect is what saw him through his imprisonment. He’s far too thin, of course, but with some good square meals inside him, he’ll soon fill out.’

Doris sipped the tea before carrying on. ‘He made it clear he didn’t want to talk about his experiences as a POW and John and I respected that and kept the conversation focused on how we met, our work on the factory estate, and some of the funny incidents we’ve had to deal with. He seemed to accept his father’s relationship with me, and told us he was looking forward to rejoining his regiment in a month’s time.’ Her smile was wry. ‘He feels that his promotion to Major went some way towards paying for the years he’d spent in prison.’

She took a breath and hurried on. ‘I told him about Anthony and Susan and darling little Teddy, and how proud I am that Anthony has been promoted to a very important position within the MOD.’

‘It’s going to be a wrench to have to move to Cambridge after settling so well where they are,’ said Peggy.

‘I’m sure Anthony will see that everything is organised with the least disruption, and of course the MOD is paying their removal costs and providing accommodation until they find a suitable house in Cambridge.’ Doris offered her packet of cigarettes to Peggy and once they were alight, she continued.

‘Susan will have to give up her nursing, of course, but that’s no bad thing. Anthony’s rise in salary means there’s no need for her to work, and she can be at home where she should be, looking after Teddy. These formative years are so important, and I’m sure Teddy would much prefer to be at home with his mother than being left in a nursery all day.’