Doris reddened, held her breath, and stepped over the threshold to hurry through the large bar and into the function room. ‘Oh,’ she said in surprise as she stood in the doorway and took in the white linen cloth on the long tables, the flowers, candles, smart china and gleaming silverware. ‘I didn’t expect …’

‘What did yer expect, Doris?’ asked Gloria with a gleam in her eye. ‘Paper plates, jellied eels and cheap bottled beer?’ She laughed at the other woman’s discomfort. ‘We do things proper ’ere,’ she said, putting an arm around Doris and steering her towards the bar laden with champagne, spirits and cordials. ‘Especially when it’s a family wedding. Now, what can I get you to drink?’

They were presented with a veritable feast, for there was roast beef with all the trimmings followed by trifle and a slice of the delicious iced fruit cake Gloria had somehow managed to persuade the local baker to supply. No one dared ask where it had all come from, but Peggy suspected that Gloria and Ron had used all their black-market contacts to make it happen. The champagne toasts were made; everyone applauded the speeches which were mercifully short and then got down to the serious business of drinking and having a dance to the three-piece band which proved to be surprisingly good.

The party went on until five and then the newly-weds disappeared upstairs to get changed for their journey to Walthamstow. There would be no honeymoon, for Andy had already started working at the fire station, but they planned a trip to Margate in August when he had a couple of days off.

Peggy had managed to resist drinking too much, but Cordelia was definitely tiddly and Doris was showing signs that she too had over-indulged, for she was laughing at Gloria’s off-colour jokes. Ron was studiously ignoring Rosie’s withering looks as he matched drink for drink with the firemen, and Harvey was snaffling the left-over trifle which Gloria had left in a bowl on the dresser.

Looking at her watch, Peggy clucked her tongue. ‘What’s keeping them up there? Surely they must know what time it is,’ she muttered.

Rita giggled. ‘I don’t expect they’ve given time much of a thought,’ she replied. ‘I know I wouldn’t if it was my wedding day.’

Peggy blushed and realised how silly she must have sounded. ‘Oh, I see what you mean.’ She took a sip of champagne, lit a cigarette and shrugged. ‘I don’t suppose it matters,’ she said to cover her embarrassment. ‘There’ll be another train in an hour.’

She watched Gloria stagger her way up the stairs and heard her yelling at the young couple to get their arses in gear and hurry up as everyone was waiting to see them off.