Peggy regarded the woebegone little face and accepted she was telling the truth. Ivy might be nosy and quick tempered, but she wasn’t a liar. ‘That sounds logical,’ she said. ‘Rita, will you accept her explanation?’

Rita nodded, although reluctantly. ‘If she’d only given me the ring when I asked, I wouldn’t have flown off the handle, and none of this would have happened.’

‘Then I suggest you stop keeping secrets and Ivy asks before she goes rooting about in other people’s things – for whatever reason. Now shake hands, put this behind you and once you’ve washed your faces and combed your hair, come down for your tea, which must be dried up by now.’

The two girls rather sullenly faced one another and briefly shook hands. Knowing this was the best she could hope for while tempers were still frayed, Peggy got to her feet. ‘I suggest you tidy this room as well before you come down, and then I’ll put some iodine on that chin, Rita. You’ll have a whopping bruise there come morning.’

Smiling to herself, she left the room and went downstairs. Their friendship was strong and would weather this spat, but my goodness, Ivy was a real scrapper, and by the look of that bruise, she could throw a mean punch.

Having tidied the room and themselves in an uneasy silence, they stared in shock at the bruises and scratches they’d inflicted on each other. ‘I’m sorry, Rita,’ muttered Ivy, gingerly touching the deep scratch on her cheekbone. ‘I didn’t mean for none of this to ’appen.’

Rita winced as she felt the swelling on her jaw. ‘You certainly know how to throw a punch.’

‘Yeah, sorry about that. Dad was an amateur boxer, see, and he taught me to defend meself when I was getting bullied as a kid.’ She shot Rita a tentative smile. ‘I don’t know me own strength sometimes. Does it hurt?’

‘Yeah, it bloody well does,’ Rita retorted with a grimace. ‘I’m going to have a right bruise there before the night’s out.’ She eyed the scratches on Ivy’s face and felt deep shame that she could do such a thing to her best friend. ‘I’m sorry about them; but you really wound me up, Ivy, and I lashed out without thinking.’

‘It were me own stupid fault,’ Ivy replied. ‘But I were that excited for you, I didn’t think neither.’ She opened her arms. ‘Forgive me?’

Rita hugged her, all anger wiped away by this loving olive branch. ‘Of course. We’re both guilty of being hot-headed.’

They drew apart and grinned at one another. ‘I reckon you’ve got an announcement to make when we go down. Want me to ’old yer ’and?’

Rita shook her head. ‘Thanks, but I can do it. They are family, after all.’