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Edie had laughed. ‘But that’s a long way off yet, Lil. She’s got to meet a nice young man first.’

‘True, but she’s a pretty girl – though I suppose I shouldn’t say it about me own daughter.’

‘Well, if she wants to meet a prospective husband, Lil, she’ll have to stop going around so much with our Frank.’

Whenever he was at home from sea, Frank, feeling rich and important with money in his pocket, would splash out on his girl. They’d go to the cinema for a bob’s worth of dark, as he
put it, sitting in the back row of the stalls, holding hands and even sneaking a kiss whenever they thought no one would see them. But someone did see them and couldn’t wait to get home to
tell her mother. Shirley, on a special treat with her school friends one Friday evening, spotted her brother and Irene cuddling in the back row of the cinema.

‘Our Frank’s got himself a girlfriend, then,’ she announced, almost before she was through the scullery and into the living room. Edie was sitting near the range with a pile of
socks for mending on her knee. She was on her own, Archie was at sea and, although the wireless had been tuned to one of her favourite programmes, Edie had turned it off before the late news came
on. She glanced up at Shirley, but the girl went back into the scullery to make cocoa for them both, deliberately keeping her mother in suspense. But Edie was used to Shirley’s dramatics and
she calmly carried on with her mending and waited patiently until the young girl could contain her news no longer.

‘Did you enjoy the pictures?’ Edie asked mildly as Shirley carried two mugs back into the living room and placed one beside her mother. ‘What did you see?’

‘We went to the Savoy. It was Charlie Chaplin in
Modern Times
and then there was a Mickey Mouse cartoon. But it was what was going on in the back row that was even more interesting
than the films.’

Edie said nothing, keeping her gaze firmly fixed on her sewing.

‘Didn’t you hear what I said? Frank’s got a girlfriend.’

‘I heard.’

‘I thought you’d say he was too young,’ Shirley said, miffed because her mother wasn’t displaying the interest – or the sense of shock – the girl had hoped
for.

Edie dipped her head so that Shirley wouldn’t see her wistful smile. She’d been sixteen when she’d started walking out with Archie Kelsey, even though it had been in secret to
start with; her mother had not approved.

‘He’s a working man now. I just hope she’s a nice girl, that’s all.’

Shirley smirked. ‘Oh, she’s nice all right.’

Now Edie didn’t try to contain her interest. ‘You know her, do you?’

‘Yes – and so do you.’

‘Me?’ Edie raised her eyebrows. ‘I don’t know any girls Frank’s age except . . .’ She stared at Shirley. ‘Oh no! You don’t mean it’s –
it’s . . . ?’

Shirley nodded. Now she was getting the reaction she’d wanted.

‘Oh well, now, I don’t know about that.’ For a brief moment, Edie was still and then, throwing her mending aside, she stood up. ‘I’ll have to have this out with
Lil.’

‘It’s late, Mam. Aunty Lil might have gone to bed.’

‘I doubt it,’ Edie said grimly. ‘She always sits up to wait for Irene coming home and if you say she’s out with Frank and he’s not home yet, then neither will she
be.’

‘What about your—’ Shirley began, but Edie was gone, out of the back door and through the door in the fence. ‘Cocoa?’ Shirley said to the empty room. Already she
could hear the sound of Edie banging on Lil’s back door, the sound echoing through the night air.

Shirley finished her drink, set her mug down and followed her mother, catching up with her just as Lil opened her back door.

‘Whatever’s the matter?’ she asked at once, her eyes dark with fright. Fisherfolk didn’t like late-night knocks on their door.

‘It’s all right, Aunty Lil, it’s nothing very terrible, but Mam’s got summat to tell you.’

Edie grasped Shirley’s arm firmly. ‘Well, now you’re here, miss, you can do the telling, seeing as you’re the one who’s seen it for yourself.’

‘Seen what?’ Lil asked.

‘Let’s get inside, Lil, and we’ll tell you.’

‘Oh sorry, Edie. Come in, duck. I’m not thinking straight. You’ve got me worried. I thought it was bad news.’

‘’Pends how you look at it. It’s about Irene.’

Lil drew in a startled gasp, but as Shirley added, ‘And Frank,’ the woman’s anxiety turned to puzzlement.

‘I – don’t understand.’

‘Shirley’s just been to the pictures with some of her friends from school – a gang of them went – and she saw your Irene and our Frank—’

‘Sitting in the back row—’

‘Kissing.’

Lil’s mouth dropped open as she glanced from one to the other. But then she began to smile. ‘Well, that’s nice,’ she began, but sensing Edie’s disapproval, she
faltered. ‘Isn’t it?’

Edie shook her head. ‘They’re too close.’

‘More like brother and sister,’ Shirley put in slyly.

‘They’ve grown up together.’

Lil was frowning. ‘I don’t see that that matters. I – I think it’s lovely. Childhood sweethearts. What could be more romantic?’

Edie wriggled her shoulders. She hadn’t reckoned on Lil disagreeing with her. ‘Tell you what, we’ll not say owt to them – not yet. We’ll wait till Archie gets back.
See what he says.’

‘All right, but . . .’ Lil agreed reluctantly. She was more than happy with the news. She’d spent sleepless nights worrying that her pretty daughter might get in with the wrong
crowd or start going out with someone totally unsuitable. She was very relieved to hear that Irene might be falling in love with the boy next door, the boy whom Lil already loved as a son. What
could be better? But Edie didn’t seem to think so and though Lil, at the moment, couldn’t understand why, she hoped this wouldn’t come between her and her dearest friend.

‘And I’ll write and tell our Beth,’ Shirley said. ‘She’ll talk some sense into them. They’ll listen to her. And Laurence. I’ll write to him an’
all.’

As Lil closed her back door behind her departing neighbours, she was thoughtful. She couldn’t understand Edie’s objection to the blossoming love story, if it was indeed serious. She
thought it was wonderful news. And now, knowing that Irene was with Frank and would be seen home safely, there was no longer any need for her to sit up into the early hours waiting for her
daughter. She began to get ready for bed, a small smile playing on her mouth. Just as she was about to fall to sleep, she heard the back door close softly and Irene creep up the stairs.

Oh how wonderful it was, she thought, to be young and in love. Her only sadness this night was that Tom was not here to delight in how his daughter had grown into a wonderful young woman, loved
by a fine man.

If only, she thought, Edie comes round.

But her friend remained adamant. ‘They’re more like brother and sister,’ Edie persisted, picking up on what Shirley had said. ‘There can’t possibly be that same
excitement of meeting someone and falling in love. They know too much about each other already. Where’s the thrill?’

‘It’s different, I grant you,’ Lil said, ‘but surely there’s something to be said for the fact that they
do
know each other.’

The two women discussed the matter endlessly over the next few days but said nothing to Irene or Frank and swore Shirley to silence.

‘I’m telling Beth, though,’ the young girl said. ‘She’ll agree with us, Mam. And Laurence.’

But Beth did not agree, as she made clear in her letter.

What marvellous news
, she wrote.
We’ll still be one big, happy family. And they’ll be able to live with Aunty Lil and when the little ones come along . . .
On and on
her letter went, rambling over four pages; she was obviously ecstatic to think that her best friend would become her sister-in-law.

‘Well, your dad won’t agree,’ Edie said, tossing Beth’s letter to one side in disgust.

But to Edie’s surprise and disappointment, Archie did agree with his elder daughter.

‘Oh, I might have known you’d side with Beth,’ Edie snapped. ‘Whatever she says’ll be right with you, won’t it?’

‘Now, now, Edie, love,’ Archie said placidly, glad to be back home from sea. This last trip had been difficult and he’d been grateful to think he’d have a few days
respite, but he hadn’t expected to walk into a storm at home.

‘So,’ Edie said, folding her arms over her ample bosom – a sure sign that she was spoiling for an argument, ‘you’re in favour of it, are you?’

‘I’m not
against
it, love. I can’t see any harm. Let’s see how it goes, shall we? I mean, it’s not as if they’re talking about getting married yet, is
it? They are too young for that, I’d agree with you there. And it might all fizzle out anyway, given time. And just remember, Edie, the more you try to separate a young couple, the more
determined they’ll be to stay together.’ He caught her eye and winked at her, silently reminding her of the opposition their own courtship had faced and, eventually, overcome.

With that, Edie was unable to argue.

It was Laurence who finally won Edie over, though it took him several months. When he came home on leave the following May, he slapped Frank on the back and kissed Irene on
both cheeks. ‘When are you getting married, because I want to be your Best Man?’

‘What about me? I want to be a Best Man too,’ Reggie piped up. He idolized both his older brothers and didn’t want to be left out.

‘You’re too young, Shrimp,’ Laurence teased, tweaking his nose. ‘But you can be an usher.’

‘What’s one of them?’

‘They show the guests to their places in the church. It’s a
very
important job. We don’t want anyone sitting on the wrong side of the church, now do we?’

Edie hid her smile; she could always rely on Laurence to make everyone feel valued, but aloud she said, ‘Now steady on there, who’s talking of marriage? They’re far too young
for one thing and for another—’ Edie repeated yet again her misgivings about their closeness.

‘I reckon that’s a good thing – oh, not the brother and sister bit,’ Laurence added hastily, ‘but isn’t it better that they know all about each other?
There’re no skeletons going to pop out of the cupboard and Irene’s a lovely girl. And she could do a lot worse than our Frank.’

Edie bristled. ‘She couldn’t do any better, let me tell you.’

‘And besides,’ Laurence said, his expression sobering, ‘I know it’s been euphoric just lately with the coronation—’

‘The papers have been full of it,’ Edie said, her expression softening, ‘such lovely pictures of the little princesses. And tomorrow me and Lil are going to see a film about it
at the Queen’s cinema. I can’t wait. They seem such a happy family. It’s lovely to see, after all the trauma of the abdication.’

‘And yet you’d deny our Frank the chance of such happiness, Mam?’

‘Of course I wouldn’t.’ Now his mother was indignant, ‘it’s just – oh, I don’t know. I seem to be the odd one out around here. You’re all so
pleased about it, all except me and Shirley.’

Laurence put his arm around Edie’s shoulder. ‘Mam, dearest Mam, Shirley’s just jealous, that’s all. And there’s another thing,’ he added softly and, for the
young man who normally laughed his way through life, he was strangely serious. ‘You know things are very unsettled in Europe, don’t you? With all the civil fighting that’s going
on in Spain.’

‘But that’s got nothing to do with us, has it?’

Laurence shrugged but didn’t answer her directly. ‘And then there’s this little corporal in Germany, who’s talking about his country needing more “living
space”. I don’t deny he’s done wonders for the morale of the German people since their defeat in 1918, but now it seems he’s not happy to leave it at that. He and his pal
Mussolini are posturing that they want peace and yet want to extend their territories. And how d’you think they’re going to do that? Mussolini invaded Abyssinia over a year ago and Nazi
Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, has been secretly rearming – only it’s not so secret now. He’s rebuilt the German navy and unlawfully created a military air force that he’s
been bragging is equal to Britain’s and, probably spurred on by Mussolini’s success in Abyssinia, he has reoccupied the Rhineland.’

‘But I thought – I mean – there were Treaties and – and whatever – after the war, weren’t there?’

Soberly, Laurence nodded. It seemed he took an interest in world affairs just like Archie did. ‘Yes, Mam, there were. The Treaty of Versailles, but that doesn’t seem to matter any
more to Herr Hitler. I think he’s hell bent on marching into whatever country takes his fancy. And we can’t let that happen, now can we?’

Edie blinked as she gaped up at him. ‘You don’t mean there might be another war? Oh no, Laurence, not again. Surely they won’t let it happen again?’

‘Of course, we all hope not, but—’

‘Then you must leave the army right now.’

Laurence gave a wry laugh. ‘I can’t, Mam, I signed on for nine years and even if I could leave – which I don’t want to and I won’t – I’d soon be called
up again. In fact, if it does come to war, all able-bodied men would be called up eventually. Even Frank.’

‘And me?’ Reggie said. ‘I’d like to be a soldier.’

Laurence laughed and ruffled his brother’s floppy brown hair. ‘Well, Shrimp, I hope it won’t last until
you’re
old enough to go.’

Edie was quiet for a moment before saying softly, ‘So you reckon I ought to give in gracefully and give Frank and Irene my blessing, do you?’

‘I do, Mam. We’ll all be there for them. We’ll help them and – if I know Aunty Lil – they’ll only be living next door. Frank won’t really be leaving
home at all,’ Laurence added with a coup d’état worthy of the most seasoned negotiator, ‘not like if he married some girl, who took him right away from here. And besides,
Aunty Lil’s all for it. You don’t want to upset her and lose her friendship, now do you?’

‘No, I don’t,’ Edie said swiftly, a sliver of fear coursing through her at just the thought of such a preposterous idea.

‘Oh, I know you’ve got Aunty Jessie down the street,’ Laurence went on, ‘but let’s face it, Mam, you’re closer to Aunty Lil than you are to your own
sister.’