Peggy could see that, despite her stoic words, her daughter was concerned about losing touch with the many friends she’d made at Cliffe. And noticing the bulging suitcases by the door, she began to fret about where Cissy would sleep. The house was chock-a-block and Danuta was in her old room. She very much doubted that either girl would happily settle in Ron’s abandoned basement bedroom.

‘Don’t worry about me, Mum,’ said Cissy, attuned as always to her mother’s thoughts. ‘I’ll bed down somewhere and try not to get under your feet too much. I might be at a loose end for a bit, but things will work out once Randy’s released from that POW camp and we can discuss our plans for the future.’ She squeezed Peggy’s fingers, her face quite radiant with hope and excitement. ‘Of course it will probably mean going to live in America once we’re married, and that will be a terrific adventure, don’t you think?’

Peggy felt a pang of unease as she saw how her daughter’s blue eyes were sparkling. Cissy hadn’t seen Randy for at least two years, and distance often made the heart grow fonder and reality a hazy blur – especially during such perilous times. She had no doubt her daughter had been in love with the young American at the time of his capture, but had it been reciprocated, and was it strong enough to endure their long, enforced separation? They’d hardly known each other before he’d been shot down and captured, and Cissy’s rose-tinted vision of a future with him worried Peggy intensely. But she kept her concerns to herself, for this was not a day to voice doubts.

‘Let’s just enjoy today and let tomorrow take care of itself,’ said Cissy cheerfully. She picked up Daisy and planted a kiss on her cheek before going across the room to pour another drink and make a special fuss of her adored Cordelia.

Despite her worries, Peggy watched her with a heart full of love and pride. Cissy would be twenty-three at the end of the month, and was so very different to the naïve young girl who’d once danced in the back row of the chorus line on the pier, and dreamed of starring in Hollywood. The war had matured her – perhaps a little too swiftly – and taught her to face danger and tragedy with courage and strength. Her work as a driver at Cliffe had also brought her into contact with a set of young men and women from a much higher social class, and their way of talking and mannerisms had rubbed off on her. Peggy suspected she would find it hard to settle down to the mundane life in Cliffehaven after all the excitement – especially if things didn’t go to plan with her young American.