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‘Oh yes, though I had a job to get her on her own. Shirley hardly leaves the girl’s side. Right, now have we got everything ready?’ Edie glanced around her front room, which
had been swept and dusted with extra care for the occasion. Gifts were piled on the sideboard. ‘I’ve been saving mine and Archie’s sweet ration for the last three months for her.
I just wish I could have got some pretty wrapping paper for her presents, but you can’t get it now and newspaper doesn’t quite look the same, does it, Lil?’

Lil smiled. ‘Can’t be helped, Edie, and it’s what’s inside that matters. I’ve given her some more scented soap. She seemed so pleased with what I gave her at
Christmas.’

‘She certainly was.’ Edie glanced at her friend. ‘More of yours that you’ve had stowed away?’

Lil pulled a comical face. ‘You know me, Edie. Irene gives me expensive soap most Christmases and I never like to use it. Good old Wright’s Coal Tar suits me, so I’m pleased
for Shirley to have it. And Irene would understand.’

‘I’ve knitted her a scarf and gloves from an old woolly I’ve pulled down. Now winter’s coming and she walks to and from work every day.’

‘No doubt Jessie will bring her something frivolous.’ Lil smiled. She’d always been fond of Edie’s gregarious sister.

‘Oh, if there’s anything “frivolous” still to be had in the shops, you can bet Jessie will hunt it down, but it’ll balance Archie’s sensible gift of National
Savings Certificates.’

‘I’ve made one of me trifles, Edie, and I’ve made a cake of sorts.’ Lil grimaced. ‘An eggless sponge. It’s an “if-it” cake.’

Edie laughed. ‘Aye, if it’ll go round. I’ll make the sandwiches last thing so they don’t curl up. I’ve got spam and a tin of snoek.’

Lil laughed. ‘I don’t reckon anyone’ll eat
that
, will they?’

‘Actually, Archie quite likes it. Must be because it’s fish.’

Lil turned to go. ‘Right, I’ll get back to me nets until this afternoon and then I’ll get me glad rags on and come and help you set everything out.’

‘Thanks, Lil.’ Edie chuckled. ‘She’d got a right mardy face on her this morning because I pretended I’d forgotten her birthday. I made out I had to be at the WVS
early and was in a rush. I say, have you heard that Jessie wants you an’ me to go out with her on the mobile canteen delivering meals to the folk manning the barrage balloon installations and
the anti-aircraft batteries in the district?’

‘Oh, that’ll make a nice change, Edie. It’ll get me away from Norma watching everything I do.’

‘Now, Shirley’ll be home just after six and Ursula said she could be here before that. I want a chorus of “Happy Birthday” when she walks in through the back door. That
should put a smile on her face.’

Lil nodded, but said nothing. It wasn’t an easy task, putting a smile on Shirley’s face, but she was pleased that planning the party had kept Edie busy and occupied her thoughts; she
wasn’t dwelling quite so much on the absent members of her family.

Later that afternoon, the table was groaning under the weight of all the food Edie and Lil had managed to provide.

‘We’ve been going short for weeks,’ Edie said as she carried a plate of sandwiches through to the front room. The Morrison shelter had been covered with a snowy linen
tablecloth that almost reached the floor, hiding what was really beneath it. Lil had laid out the knives, forks and spoons, plates, side plates, cups and saucers. ‘And I know you have,
an’ all, Lil.’

‘That’s what friends are for, duck,’ Lil said, as she set the sponge cake as a centrepiece on the table.

They stood back to admire their efforts. ‘It’s nearly as good a spread as we did for Frank and Irene’s wedding.’

‘We’ve done well, Edie, considering all the shortages.’

Edie chuckled. ‘And with a nifty bit of improvisation here and there.’

At that moment, Archie appeared from upstairs where he’d been changing out of his work clothes and having a wash and brush-up in readiness for the party.

‘By heck, girls, you’ve done a grand job there, but I reckon I just ought to sample . . .’ He reached out towards a sandwich, but Edie smacked his hand. ‘You keep your
thieving fingers off, Archie Kelsey. Wait till everyone gets here and I want Shirley to see what we’ve been doing for her.’

They were all there, hiding in the front room, by the time Shirley arrived home from work. Even Jessie and Harry had managed to make it in time.

‘Shush, everyone. That’s her coming down the passage.’

They heard the back door open and then Shirley step into the scullery. There was a moment’s silence before she called out, ‘Mam?’

‘Here, love,’ Edie shouted. ‘I’m in the front room.’

The door opened and everyone began to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and Lil said later that the look on Shirley’s face had been worth every bit of scrimping and saving she and Edie had
done over the last few weeks. The girl had tears in her eyes; she wasn’t used to being the centre of attention or having so much fuss made of her.

They all enjoyed the party and even gave in to Shirley’s demand to play charades.

‘But it’s not Christmas,’ Edie pleaded. ‘We play charades at Christmas.’

‘I know – but it is my eighteenth birthday, Mam.’

‘All the more reason why we shouldn’t be playing childish games,’ Edie teased. Then she relented. ‘Oh go on, then, just this once.’

Even Ursula joined in wholeheartedly, seeming to understand the rules of the game a little better now.

At the end of the evening, when their guests were starting to say ‘we should be going’, Shirley stood up and thanked everyone for coming. ‘It’s been a lovely party
– I just wish Beth and the others could have been here too.’ She hesitated and glanced warily at her mother, ‘And there’s something I have to tell you all and this seems
like a good moment. As you probably realize, I had to register for war work because I was coming up to eighteen, but because I don’t want to be drafted into something I don’t want to
do’ – she pulled a face – ‘factory work or something like that, I’ve volunteered for – for –’ she paused again and glanced apologetically at Edie
before ending with a rush, ‘the ATS. I thought if it’s good enough for the Prime Minister’s daughter, then it’s good enough for me.’

It took a few seconds for the news to sink in. The ATS was the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women’s branch of the British Army. Then Jessie was the first to clap her hands and say,
‘Oh Shirley, well done you! That’s marvellous.’

Archie was watching Edie’s face. The last of her chicks to leave the nest. She would be completely on her own when he was at sea. And then he caught sight of Lil watching her friend too
and he sighed inwardly with relief. Of course, there was always Lil. She’d be on hand whatever happened. Thank Goodness for Lil.

Her face expressionless, Edie got slowly to her feet and went towards Shirley. For one dreadful moment, the girl thought her mother was going to strike her across the face but, instead, Edie
stood in front of her, just staring into Shirley’s eyes. Then slowly, she nodded and began to smile. Without a word, she put her arms around her daughter and held her close.

Shirley hugged her in return.

‘Oh Mam, I was so afraid you’d be angry, but I couldn’t be the only one in the family not to do something important for the war effort, now could I? I’ve asked
specifically if I can go into the anti-aircraft batteries. Serving selfish women with a new hat and listening to their grumbles about how their clothing coupons won’t stretch far enough
isn’t quite my idea of helping my country. Although Oldroyd’s have been very nice about it and have said I can have my old job back after the war. I mean, even Reggie – young as
he is – is helping out on the land. And Beth must be doing something really worthwhile now she’s in the FANYs.’

‘I know, duck, I know,’ Edie patted the girl’s back and her voice was husky as she added, ‘I can understand why you’ve done it, but just take good care of yourself,
eh, and come home safe and sound. I’m proud of you.’

Now the tears ran down Shirley’s face. It was the first time in her life that she could remember her mother ever saying those words to her.

Raoul stood in the centre of his yard and glanced around, narrowing his eyes against the bright light. He listened too. ‘Mm,’ he said at last. ‘All seems
quiet. Good. Leonie, fetch your wireless set and we’ll hide it.’

When Leonie returned with the wireless set, Raoul took the heavy suitcase from her and led her out of the yard and into a meadow that sloped gently upwards away from the house. Jasper bounded
ahead of them, stopping every now and again to sniff the ground. Halfway up the field, they walked down a dip in the land and up the other side and then on again up towards a small, tumbledown
stone building at the edge of the field.

Raoul, puffing a little, explained. ‘Years ago, we used this as a small barn for animal feed and occasionally as a shepherd’s hut at lambing time, but now we bring them down into the
sheds close to the farm when the ewes are due. It’s better for them if the weather’s cold’ – he smiled – ‘and it’s certainly better for us. So, it’s
a bit rundown, but I think it’ll serve your purpose.’ He turned and gestured back towards the house and the farm buildings clustered around it. ‘You must be aware that the Germans
have their vehicles out all the time and whenever you are transmitting or receiving they can pick up your signals. They’d be most likely – and I’m counting on this – to
drive into my yard first and then send out search parties. The beauty of this position, Leonie,’ – Raoul used her name a lot and Beth realized this was to familiarize himself with it
– ‘is that you’ll be able to see them from here and if they come towards you, they’ll be hidden in the hollow for a few precious moments.’

He ducked his head as he stepped into the gloomy interior of the barn. The walls were crumbling and several large stones were loose. The floor was covered with dusty earth and a few bales of hay
were stacked against the wall.

‘When Antoine’ – he even remembered to refer to his own son by his code name – ‘told me you were coming and what you were going to be doing, I came up here and made
a hidey hole behind some of these stones for your wireless. Now, tell me, can you see where it is?’

Beth let her eyes roam over the surface of the walls. She glanced down at the floor, but it looked as if no one had been in there for years.

‘No,’ she said at last. ‘I can’t.’

‘You’ll soon get to know where it is, but to start with, if you move the bales and then count six stones from the left-hand side of the doorway and four from the floor,’ he
said, demonstrating, ‘and then pull out this stone . . . I can’t mark it for you for obvious reasons. I’ve hollowed out what I hope is a big enough space to take the suitcase.
Let’s try it.’

It fitted perfectly and then Raoul showed her how to push the stone back in, and suggested that she should pick up a handful of dust from the floor and throw it against the stone so that it
blended in with the rest of the wall and didn’t look as if it had just been removed. She did as he bade her and, he was right, a cursory glance would reveal nothing, particularly as, coming
in from the bright sunlight outside, the gloom would give additional cover. Then she moved the bales back into their position in front of it.

‘And outside,’ Raoul went on, ‘I’ve left a small broken branch from the nearby hedge that you can sweep the floor with as you back out. Luckily, the doorway is hidden
from anyone coming up the slope, so you can slip out and through the hedge. See, I’ll show you.’ He led the way to the hedge just behind the barn and demonstrated how she could part the
branches carefully and slip through, the foliage springing back into place and concealing the gap. Now he pointed over the hedge. ‘The ground slopes down from here and you’d be able to
run down there and get some distance away from here before they saw you. I can’t promise they won’t catch up with you, but by following you down there, they’d hopefully be
distracted from searching inside the barn too closely.’

‘It’s perfect, Uncle Raoul.’

He stared at her and then burst out laughing. ‘I like the sound of that. I’ve never had a niece or a nephew.’

Beth laughed too but said very seriously, ‘Well, just remember that you have now.’

‘So, they’ve all gone now, Lil,’ Edie said mournfully two days after Shirley’s birthday party. ‘She’s been planning to join the ATS for
some time, it seems, and she didn’t tell anyone – not even us – until she was certain she’d been accepted.’

‘You mean she’s gone? Already?’

‘Set off this morning in high excitement.’

‘It’s an adventure for her, duck. It’ll do her the world of good.’

Edie sighed. ‘You’re right, of course, and she did promise she’ll come as soon as she can get some leave. But until then, I’m on me own. Even Archie’s gone back to
sea.’

‘We’ve got the WVS this afternoon, Edie.’

‘I know, but it’s the evenings when I feel it the most.’

Tactfully, Lil didn’t remind her that she spent many evenings on her own. ‘Come round to me. We can knit or sew together and listen to the wireless. There’s Tommy Handley on
tonight. You like him.’

‘Aye, all right,’ Edie said, but Lil could tell her heart wasn’t in it.

‘Are you going into town this morning?’

Edie shrugged. ‘Hardly worth queuing for hours just for one, is it?’

‘Now, now, Edie, you must look after yourself. Anyway, if you do, you could get me a few bits. I’m that busy with these camouflage nets – they’re so much bigger than
I’m used to doing.’

‘I suppose so,’ Edie murmured, but was hardly listening to her friend and Lil returned to her own home, pondering what she could do to help her neighbour.

Later that morning, Edie, dressed for shopping in town, went through the door that divided the two yards. Lil, with a long net hanging from the wall, was busy braiding. ‘I thought
I’d do this out here today, Edie. It’s a lovely day and this one’s almost too big for my wall indoors. It’s a whopper. I reckon they must want it for covering a
tank.’

Edie watched her for a few moments and then murmured, ‘I suppose I could lend you a hand now and then, Lil. I can see there’s a lot to do. That’s if I can remember how to do
it.’