The wedding outfits had been kept a very close secret from the minute the girls had returned from leaving them at Stan’s – which had been extremely frustrating for Peggy, who was dying to see what Ruby had chosen, and was a little put out that she hadn’t asked her to help her dress for the day. However, she was realistic enough to accept that, unlike her other chicks, Ruby was a mature, independent young woman who’d been married before, and it probably hadn’t occurred to her to ask. But it was lovely to have Ruby in the house after so long, even though it was only for a night, and in a matter of days she would be leaving England for her new life in Canada.

Peggy sighed at the thought of her going so far away, but was deeply thankful that she’d had the chance to spend time with her and could share in her special day, for she was still one of her precious chicks.

She finished clearing the table and swiftly washed the dishes, her thoughts on all her other chicks. She’d yet to hear from Fran or Ivy, and could only hope that things had gone well for them. As for Anne and Martin, there had been no word since Anne’s excited telephone call on Monday morning to tell her he was due to arrive in Taunton that evening.

Peggy’s thoughts returned to Ruby as she began to remove the plates of sandwiches, iced buns and jam tarts from the larder, setting them on the table and checking that the tea towels were still damp over the sandwiches to keep them fresh – which they weren’t. Ruby had confided in her that she’d been fretting over who should give her away, for she loved and admired Stan and Ron equally, and it didn’t seem right to pick one over the other. Peggy hadn’t really been able to advise her, for it had to be her decision, but in the end it had been Mike who’d solved the problem by asking Ron to be his best man.

Peggy clucked her tongue at the thought as she soaked the cloths again and wrapped them round the sandwiches. The young man was asking for trouble to do such a thing, and goodness only knows what state he and Ron would be in this morning for, according to Rosie, Ron had roped in his son Frank, Stan, Rita’s Peter, Jack and Ivy’s Andy to help Mike celebrate his forthcoming nuptials. Peter had turned up with a couple of lively Australians from Cliffe, Jack had brought an old pal he’d bumped into earlier, and Andy came with three of the fire crew who weren’t on duty – and when a group of Canadian soldiers had come into the Anchor, they’d joined in with full-blooded enthusiasm.