Beach View was at peace apart from the usual creaks and groans of the old timbers, and as everyone slept, Peggy sat in the deserted kitchen smoking a last cigarette with a cup of tea and missing Harvey who usually slept at her feet by the range. She was tired, and should have gone to bed earlier for she had work in the morning, but her brain was too active and she knew sleep wouldn’t come easily. There were too many things to think about and worry over, and although there was absolutely nothing she could do about any of it, that still didn’t stop her thoughts from churning.

Ron had clearly been affected by the news of Freddy’s death and Ivy’s loss, and it seemed his back was playing up too – which was hardly surprising if half of what Rosie had revealed about the more intimate details of their honeymoon was true. Ron had been reticent to tell her very much about their honeymoon, giving her the most minimal descriptions of where they’d gone and what they’d seen and done. If he’d had the slightest inkling of how much Rosie had told her, he’d be so embarrassed that he’d never darken the doors of Beach View again. As it was, he’d promised to finish mending the windows and find a reliable painter and decorator to freshen up the downstairs.

Andy had telephoned from London earlier in the evening to say he and Ivy were staying with his mother overnight before Ivy caught the train to Salisbury. They’d been to see the shattered remains of Hughes Mansions and visited Mrs De Vries, before collecting the woefully few effects that had been stored by the council. Ivy had become very distressed to discover that her parents and sister now shared a grave with other unidentified victims of the bombing, and so Andy had promised to try and arrange for a plaque to mark their final resting place.

On a much lighter note, Ruby’s news had brought great pleasure to Peggy for she loved a good wedding, and was already planning what she would wear, but the thought of the girl going all the way to Canada had always worried her. Ruby was a Cockney born and bred, used to crowded tenements, raucous pubs, smoking chimneys and solid pavements beneath her feet – how she’d cope in the isolation of a Canadian outpost during the winter, Peggy couldn’t imagine.