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‘To sleep in, you mean?’

Irene nodded.

‘Won’t it be uncomfortable?’

‘Well, yes, a bit but—’

‘Oh, how we have to suffer for our beauty,
chérie
,’ Beth said, dramatically putting the back of her hand against her forehead.

Shirley giggled. ‘What’s this “sherree” you keep calling me?’

‘It’s French for “darling”.’

‘Can you speak a lot of French now?’

‘Oh yes.’ Beth pulled a face. ‘In fact, I’m having a job to think of English words sometimes.’

Irene kept her promise to ask about vacancies in the department store where she worked, but, the next evening, she came round to see Shirley. ‘I’m sorry,’
she said in a low voice out of range of Edie’s sharp hearing. ‘But they’re not taking on any new staff at the moment because of all the uncertainty over the war.’

‘It’s OK,’ Shirley said. ‘I’ll stay on until next summer. Things might be better by then.’

Irene smiled wanly and nodded. She was very much afraid that, by then, things might be a whole lot worse.

The date for the wedding – 9 September – had been decided and the church booked, but a venue for the reception had still not been decided on.

‘We’ll have it in my front room,’ Edie said.

‘Or mine,’ Lil put in. ‘I’m the bride’s mother. I’m supposed to be whatever-they-call it. The hostess, I suppose.’

‘Now, Lil, we’ve had all this out before; you’re to let me and Archie help you and not be embarrassed about it. We’re one big happy family. Remember?’

‘Mebbe we could hire a hall somewhere,’ Lil said, but Edie could hear the doubt in her tone. Hiring a hall would be expensive. The young couple couldn’t afford it and neither
could she.

‘No need, duck,’ Edie was adamant. ‘We’ll squeeze everybody in. There won’t be that many more than we have round the table at Christmas. And we’ll do the
catering between us. In fact, if you’re not doing owt now, how about a trip round the shops to see what we can get to put by for the big day?’

Now that she had given in to the idea, Edie embraced it with the fervour of the converted.

The two women set off together and joined a queue outside the butcher’s. ‘I wonder if . . .’ Edie began but she was interrupted by a merry voice from the front of the line.

‘Edie – and Lil – how fortuitous,’ Jessie greeted them, her hands spread wide in welcome. ‘I was thinking of coming round to see you two.’

‘She always did use big words where a simple one would do,’ Edie muttered in Lil’s ear. ‘Though I expect she’d say “would suffice”.’

Lil had difficulty in stifling her laughter as Jessie gave up her position and came to stand by them. She was wearing a kind of uniform; a green tweed coat and skirt and a matching felt hat with
a red band. ‘I’ve joined the Women’s Voluntary Service and we need more volunteers, you know,’ Jessie was saying, ‘and I thought you two would be just perfect.’
She nodded towards Lil and added, ‘Your sister, Norma, has already joined us.’

Lil pulled a face. ‘Getting everyone organized, is she?’

Jessie chuckled. ‘She’s trying.’

‘Oh, very trying, I’d say,’ Lil muttered.

‘But I bet she’s no match for you, Jessie, is she?’ Edie put in.

‘Absolutely not, Edie. We’ll be very busy if they evacuate all the kiddies like they’re saying might happen. Will you send Reggie, Edie?’

Edie shook her head firmly. ‘No, he’ll stay at home with me.’

Jessie pulled face. ‘You ought to think about it seriously. Grimsby’ll be right in the line of fire, if you ask me. Anyway, there’s no reason why the two of you can’t
help out now and again. Do come along some time.’

‘We’ll see,’ was all Edie and Lil would promise. ‘We’ve got a wedding to organize, Jessie.’

‘I heard,’ Jessie smiled, ‘but I’m still waiting to be asked.’

Edie chuckled. ‘Don’t hold your breath for an official invite, Jessie. Printed ones cost money. Just take it that you and Harry are invited.’

Impishly, Jessie said, ‘And would you like me to extend the invitation to your Norma when I see her, Lil?’

Lil sighed. ‘Aye, you might as well. I suppose she’ll have to come.’

The three women glanced at one another and began to laugh.

On Sunday, 3 September, a sunny, sultry day, Britain officially declared war on Germany and Laurence sent word that he would not be able to attend the wedding; he was likely to
be amongst the first British soldiers to be sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force. A cloud settled over the family, not only because the whole country’s fears had been realized,
but also because Laurence would not be with them for their special day.

‘It’s starting,’ Edie moaned to Archie. ‘My wonderful family’ll be split up before we know it. They want to evacuate the youngsters. Jessie came round last night
and she was telling us that a lot have gone already, but where are they sending them, that’s what I’d like to know? I’m not letting Reggie go to live with strangers.’

‘They’re not going far,’ Archie tried to console her, but he had his own worries, concerns he had not yet shared with his wife. Just what was going to happen to his livelihood
now? The North Sea and beyond would be an even more dangerous place. ‘It’s true some are going to Derbyshire,’ he went on, trying, for the moment, to concentrate on Edie’s
anxieties. ‘But a lot are only going as far as Skegness, Alford or Spilsby or even just into the Wolds. Reggie could stay relatively near home, just so long as he’s out of the
town.’

‘It’ll be far enough. Transport to get to see him will be difficult.’ Edie paused and then asked in a small voice, ‘You think I should send him?’

‘To be honest, love, I don’t know. Let’s just see how things work out, eh? He can always go later.’

‘I don’t know whether he can. They’re already saying that if they miss the first evacuations, they might not have the chance again.’

Archie put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. ‘Let’s not worry about it now. In fact, let’s not worry about anything except enjoying this wedding.’

‘I can’t now. Not when Laurence won’t be with us.’

‘Just try, Edie love. For Frank and Irene’s sakes, just try.’

When the news had reached them from Laurence, Frank had sought out Reggie. ‘You’ll have to be my Best Man now. Think you can do it?’

‘Of course I can – if you tell me what I’ve got to do.’

Frank laughed. ‘Stick close to me and make sure I don’t run away at the last minute.’

Reggie blinked and asked solemnly, ‘You’re not going to, are you?’

‘Of course I’m not. I want to marry Irene more than anything in the world and, if I’m likely to get called up, then the sooner, the better. By the way, has Mam said whether
she’s going to send you into the country with the rest of the kids?’

Reggie shrugged. ‘She’s not said owt, though I reckon Dad thinks she ought to.’

Frank squeezed his brother’s shoulders. ‘You wouldn’t be far away. Anyway, let’s forget all about that. We’ve got a wedding to enjoy first. Oh, and you have to keep
the ring safe. I’ll give it to you when we get to the church. You have to hand it to me in the service.’ Reggie nodded, feeling important.

‘Oh, you look beautiful, Irene,’ Shirley said, as the three girls readied themselves in Irene’s bedroom on the morning of the wedding. ‘That dress fits
you a treat. You’ve got such a lovely figure.’

‘And you don’t look so bad yourself,’ Irene said. ‘Your hair looks really pretty, curled up like that. And you’re getting a very nice shapely figure too.’

Shirley blushed, whilst Beth grimaced comically. ‘More than can be said for me. I can’t seem to get any voluptuous curves, however much of Mam’s cooking I put away.’

‘Thanks for doing my hair, Beth,’ Shirley said. For once, she was feeling involved with the excitement of the day. ‘I can’t seem to get it right myself. I get this side
all nice and then this side seems to flop.’

‘When you leave school,
chérie
, I’ll treat you to a perm,’ Beth promised. ‘Now, Irene, it’ll soon be time we were leaving. Let’s have a last
look at you. Dad’ll be round in a minute.’

Archie was to give Irene away.

‘You were Tom’s best friend, Archie,’ Lil had said. ‘It’s what Irene and I both want – and it’s what he would have wanted too.’

Irene was wearing a full-length, long-sleeved gown of ivory satin with a heart-shaped neckline and a small train. She had a full-length veil, held in place by a pearl tiara, and was carrying a
bouquet of pale pink roses and fern.

‘You look amazing,’ Beth said now, a catch in her voice. Even Shirley had tears in her eyes. She envied both Irene and Beth their good looks, but they were both doing their best to
show her how to make the most of herself.

‘Come on, Shirley. Time we were going.’

They all enjoyed the day; even Norma unbent enough to accept a glass of sherry and then seemed to be laughing rather loudly.

‘Is your Aunty Norma drunk, d’you reckon?’ Frank asked his new wife.

Irene giggled, a little tipsy herself. ‘I wouldn’t know, though I’ve never seen her laughing like that before. And just look at Mum’s face. It’s bright red. I think
she’s had one too many.’

‘Come on, let’s leave them to it.’ Frank squeezed her hand. ‘Time we were going.’

Frank had splashed out on a couple of nights in a nice hotel in Cleethorpes and he had no intention of wasting a minute of the money it had cost him. It wasn’t far away but distant enough
to make them feel they were really on honeymoon. The couple made their farewells and left in a taxi to the sound of everyone’s good wishes ringing in their ears.

As the vehicle drew away, only Edie said sorrowfully, ‘Another one of my family gone.’

‘Come on, Mam,’ Beth said, linking her arm through Edie’s, ‘don’t get maudlin. They’ll soon be back and living next door. He’s not exactly gone very
far, now has he?’

‘No, but for how long? How long will it be before Frank is called up? And I expect you’ll be the next to be off to London or somewhere to join up.’

Beth did not answer.

Immediately after the wedding, Jessie came round to see both Edie and Lil.

‘Now, you two, you’ll have to do some sort of war work sooner or later, so how about sooner?’

Jessie explained everything that the members of the WVS were likely to be involved in. ‘There are plans for us to run a mobile canteen,’ Jessie told them. ‘The meals are going
to be prepared in Doncaster and brought over here and then we distribute them. And thanks to Harry, I can drive.’

Edie frowned. ‘But who are we taking meals to?’

Jessie ticked them off on her fingers. ‘Gun crews, barrage balloon personnel – anyone stationed in and around the town, really. And then, if we do get bombed – Heaven forbid,
but it’s very likely it’ll happen sooner or later – there’ll be the rescue parties to be fed and watered. And I understand that the Town Hall will be a centre for families
who get bombed out and we’ll be in charge of looking after them.’

Edie said, ‘I have to say, it sounds worthwhile work and the sort of thing we could do. What d’you think, Lil?’

‘I’m doing my bit, Edie,’ Lil protested. ‘I’ve still got my nets to do.’

‘I know, I know, but surely there won’t be so much demand for fishing nets, will there? Archie was saying he expects a lot of the trawlers will be commandeered by the Royal
Navy.’

Lil smiled. ‘Well, I was just coming to tell you summat when Jessie arrived. I saw Mr Blake from Coal Salt yesterday and he said the authorities are looking for folk to make camouflage
nets and they want them just like we make our fishing nets. They’re taking on women to work in the old bus sheds in Cleethorpes, but I’ve got permission to work from home.’

‘Eh, Lil, that’s grand for you, duck. Me an’ Archie have been worried that your work might fall off a bit. I hope they pay you well.’ Then her face fell. ‘So, I
s’pose you won’t have time for voluntary work, then? We’d make such a good team, you an’ me.’

Lil chuckled at the thought of them walking side by side to the centre. They looked a comical pair when they were out together. Edie walked with a straight back and a stately gait, her head held
high and her dark hair dressed in tight waves beneath her felt hat. Lil, whose head only came up to Edie’s shoulder trotted along at the side of her, her short, fair curls blowing in the
wind.

‘Oh, I’ll come along, Edie. It’ll give me a break now and then from housework and the nets.’

Edie nodded. In the early days of her marriage she, too, had made and mended nets in her backyard. However, when Archie was promoted and the children came along – the first four in fairly
quick succession – she was able to give up the work and concentrate on looking after her family, which fell heavily upon her when Archie was at sea for weeks at a time. When he became a
skipper, the Kelsey family could have moved to the outskirts of the town, to a bigger and better house with a proper garden at the back, but Edie loved the neighbourhood where she lived. She knew
nearly everyone down the long street of back-to-back terraced houses and they knew her. Besides, she hadn’t wanted to leave Lil. And it was nice to have her sister, Jessie, living at the
opposite end of the road too. There were only the two of them left now, their parents having succumbed to the dreadful Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and 1919. The sisters were very different. Edie
was a fine figure of a woman but it was Jessie who was the prettier of the two. Her sweet face was framed with dark brown curls and she was vivacious and bubbly. She’d married Harry Charlton,
a soldier who had survived the carnage of the Great War, and they’d rented the very same terraced house where Edie and Jessie had grown up. Much to the sadness of both Jessie and Harry, they
had no children, but Jessie had compensated for that by being involved with Edie’s growing brood. She’d always been on hand for baby-sitting duties, though always second to Lil, and had
taken care of the whole family whenever Edie had been unwell or had been having another baby! And Harry had been a doting uncle-by-marriage.

‘So,’ Jessie prompted the two friends. ‘Can I count on you both?’

As they glanced at each other and then nodded, Jessie beamed. ‘That’d be great and I can assign you work together, if that’s what you’d like.’