Anne realised then that he was right, for if he stayed nothing would change between them, and the state of mind he was in would only worsen. She nodded and turned away, the tears rolling down her face as she emptied the case and folded the clothes more neatly so she could close it. She could only pray he would see things in a clearer light once he was back in Cliffehaven. ‘Just promise me you’ll telephone when you get to Mum’s,’ she managed.

‘I promise,’ he replied, picking up the case and kitbag. Anne’s head was pounding and she felt nauseous as she grabbed her dressing gown and swiftly dug her feet into slippers before following him into the boot room. ‘Aren’t you going to say goodbye to Vi and the girls?’ she asked fretfully.

‘I did that earlier while you were sleeping off Vi’s parsnip wine,’ he replied, stepping out into the cobbled yard where Bob, Sally and the little boys were waiting in the Land Rover. ‘I must say, you were dead to the world when I got in.’

Anne thought that was a bit rich after his drunken performances these past weeks, but let the thought go. This was not the time to start an argument. She tamped down on the nausea and tried to ignore the thudding in her head as she followed him and watched him swing the kitbag and case in the back. She noted with surprise, and some hurt, that his drawn face seemed less careworn, his step a little more jaunty as he prepared to leave her. However, she reasoned, if this was a sign of how quickly he might heal in Cliffehaven, then he was right to go, and she shouldn’t see his departure as yet another rejection.

She went to him as he opened the back door. ‘Take care, my love,’ she murmured, kissing his cheek. ‘I’ll ring Mum and let her know you’re on the way.’

He nodded, climbed into the truck and slammed the door. Sally blew Anne a kiss and the boys bounced up and down in excitement. Anne saw that Sally looked as rough as she felt, and didn’t envy her the long journey with two lively boys for company. Bob engaged the gears and the truck rumbled over the cobbles towards the gate which Vi was holding open.

Anne ran to join Vi as Bob drove down the track, and they waved until the truck was out of sight. Vi closed the gate firmly and then squeezed Anne’s hand. ‘It’s not really saying goodbye,’ she said comfortingly, ‘because you’ll be seeing them all again in a few days’ time.’