Cordelia was already there in the front row of chairs, chattering away to Ron and Mike as Harvey flopped down patiently beneath Ron’s seat and the female registrar tried to ignore his presence, no doubt having been informed by Ron that the Mayor had given his permission for the dog to be here – which he hadn’t, of course, but she wouldn’t know that until after the ceremony.

Peggy noted how Cordelia’s silver hair gleamed beneath the pretty straw hat trimmed with purple ribbon, and that she looked much younger than her eighty years in her pale lilac dress and coat. But it was a worry that there were so few of them to celebrate this wedding, what with Ruby refusing to even tell her mother about it, and Mike’s family being in Canada, and she could only hope the room didn’t echo too much during the ceremony.

She nodded her thanks to Ron and kissed Mike’s pale cheek. ‘There’s nothing to be nervous about,’ she murmured. ‘Ruby’s on her way.’

He smiled at her gratefully, sat down, and then stood up again to look anxiously towards the door, clearly still on edge.

Peggy sat next to Cordelia, settled an excited Daisy beside her, and gazed round at the small gathering which barely filled two rows of the many chairs. Sarah, Jane and Danuta looked lovely in their summer dresses and lightweight jackets, as did young April who had just come in with her little Paula.

Rosie was wearing her pale blue going-away costume with her white fox fur slung artfully over one shoulder, and Cissy looked just as sophisticated in a beautifully cut navy-blue dress with a matching broad-brimmed hat and two-tone high-heeled shoes. Peter was in his RAAF dress uniform; Andy was in his fireman’s uniform; Frank was in his best suit, and his wife, Pauline, wore a close-fitting dove-grey jacket over a matching pencil-slim skirt and white blouse.

Peggy raised an eyebrow, for she’d never seen Pauline looking so smart before, but she didn’t have time to ponder on the reason behind this transformation, for the registrar had switched on the piped music of the wedding march and was indicating they should all stand.

Everyone turned to watch as Ruby entered the room on Stan’s arm, looking radiant in a cream silk knee-length dress and matching jacket trimmed with lace. Her simple hat of cream velvet sat neatly on her crown of glossy brown hair, the birdcage netting not quite hiding her shining dark eyes that held Mike’s with such adoration. She carried a bouquet of delicate pink peonies that had hearts of a deeper pink which matched Rita’s floor-length dress perfectly, and on her feet were a pair of high-heeled gold sandals.