Peggy sat in her factory office and watched the women at their sewing machines, but her thoughts were still on the sleeping arrangements at Beach View. It wouldn’t be too much of a squash, for there was still that double room on the first floor for them to sleep in since Brendan and Betty had now moved into their lovely new house, and Charlie was very content to stay where he was in the basement. However, the thought of five small girls and a little boy rampaging about the place was a daunting prospect. Daisy and Anne’s two made enough noise with their screeching and squabbling, and it had become almost a pleasure to come into work where it was a good deal quieter and more orderly.

She snapped from her thoughts and noticed the women were packing up for the day, so she quickly collected her handbag, just as eager to be home. The atmosphere at Beach View had improved enormously now Martin was fully involved in setting up the air transport business which they’d decided to call PMB Air, using the initials of their last names. Martin was almost back to his old self, Anne was looking radiant, and within a few short weeks they’d be moving back into their own little house just in time for Anne to start her job at the new junior school with young Betty.

Peggy checked everything was locked, and headed across the estate. She’d barely seen Charlie these past few weeks, for he was always busy. His voracious appetite was quite a problem, though, and it seemed that no matter how much she fed him, he was constantly hungry. And yet it was hardly surprising, she reasoned as she approached Jack’s lock-up, for he went with Ron onto the hills each morning to walk the dogs, and again at night if he wasn’t on the rugby field with his new friends training for the next season.

He’d spent hours with Ron, who’d been a terrific and steadying influence, and with Frank on his boat, and had even gone out night-fishing in the trawler to make up the crew numbers when one man had fallen ill. He’d loved it so much he’d hardly stopped talking about it, and Frank had been full of praise, even suggesting he might take him on permanently once he’d left school.

Peggy had been dubious about that idea, for although Charlie came from a family of fishermen, he was academically very bright, with an aptitude for mechanical engineering that had impressed Jack Smith no end. Her hope was that when he passed his school certificate, he’d go to technical college and hone those skills so he’d have a stable, well-paid job in the future.