Peggy doled out the aspirin with cups of hot tea and silently placed bowls of porridge in front of each of them.

With muttered thanks, the three girls tucked in and once the last scrape of porridge was devoured, and the teapot emptied, Ivy felt marginally better. She surreptitiously glanced across at Cissy, who she secretly admired for her looks and rather daunting sophistication, and realised that she was far from her usual glamorous, well-groomed self this morning – in fact she looked disappointingly plain.

‘How’re you settling in Ron’s room, Cissy?’

‘It’s not too bad,’ she replied. ‘Although I wouldn’t want to be down there in winter.’ She gave a delicate shudder. ‘But I’m not planning on still being here by then,’ she said. ‘Once Randy comes back, we’ll be moving to California where it never gets cold.’

‘Lucky you,’ replied Ivy without rancour. ‘But if you’re finding it a bit lonely down there, you could move in with Rita and me. We talked about it yesterday, and there’s plenty of room for another bed up there.’

‘That’s very sweet of you both,’ Cissy replied coolly, ‘but I’m actually quite enjoying having a room to myself after sharing with eight others; and being downstairs, I can come and go as I please and not disturb anyone.’

Ivy thought this was very kind of Cissy, but suspected the real reason she didn’t want to share was because she’d got so posh from being up there at Cliffe with the toffs that she felt she had nothing in common with the likes of her and Rita. Which, to be fair, was true.

‘Right, I’m off to work,’ Ivy said, scraping back her chair and making Cissy shudder. ‘See you all at teatime.’

‘Don’t forget your lunch box and thermos,’ said Peggy, handing her the small battered tin and thermos in a string bag. ‘It’s only dripping sandwiches today, I’m afraid, but I’ve tried to liven them up with salt and pepper.’

Ivy gave her a hug. ‘Thanks, Auntie Peg, you’re a diamond. I’d forget me ’ead if it weren’t screwed on proper.’

‘You take care at the factory and come home safe,’ said Peggy, hooking the girl’s untidy hair behind her ears with motherly affection. ‘And don’t stop off at the pub on the way. You’ve had enough drink this past week to sink a battleship.’

Ivy giggled, gave her a hug and then clattered down the cellar steps, slamming the back door behind her.

‘I do wish she wouldn’t do that,’ snapped Cissy. ‘Can’t you have a word with the wretched girl, Rita? All her crashing and banging about is really beginning to get on my nerves.’