Free There'll Be Blue Skies by Ellie Dean Page B

night to carry him to the lav. And, if she did that, then she was asking for trouble. No-one could go without that much sleep and, once she started working, she’d be dog-tired to begin with.
    She carried Ernie downstairs, and stood in the hallway wondering if she was supposed to go in the kitchen or the dining room.
    ‘Good morning, you two,’ said Anne brightly, as she came out of the kitchen carrying bowls of steaming porridge. ‘Come and sit down before this gets cold.’
    Sally followed her into the dining room and found that almost everyone was already at the table. To a chorus of greetings, she settled Ernie on the cushions and tucked in his chair before taking her place next to him.
    Anne put one of the bowls in front of Ernie. ‘Now,’ she said, with a smile. ‘I expect you to eat all of that up so you’ll get big and strong.’
    Ernie looked up at her with adoring eyes and nodded. It was clear he was smitten, and Sally had to bite down on her smile.
    The porridge was like nothing she’d ever tasted before, and Sally relished every mouthful as Mrs Finch chirruped like a sparrow, the boys talked about the local football team and Ron carried on what appeared to be a well-worn argument with his son.
    ‘There’s no government order to put animals down,’ the old man said grumpily, ‘and there’s no man on this earth who will make me murder mine. I’ve seen the queues outside the vet’s, and it’s wholesale slaughter, that’s what it is.’
    ‘But it’s not fair to expect them to suffer when the bombs start dropping,’ said Jim Reilly, throwing down his napkin with impatience. ‘The poor things will go half crazy with fear.’
    ‘Harvey and the ferrets are used to loud noises,’ muttered Ron through a mouthful of toast and marmalade as he stirred four spoonfuls of sugar into his tea. ‘They’ve been out with the guns often enough.’
    ‘It’s not the same, and after going through the last war, you should know that,’ Jim persisted. He pushed back his chair. ‘You’ll see I’m right, Dad.’ He grabbed the newspaper from the table and left the room.
    ‘No-one tells me what’s best for my animals,’ mumbled Ron.
    Sally realised this was a long-running argument between father and son, and wasn’t surprised when Peggy changed the subject.
    ‘What are everyone’s plans for the day?’ she asked brightly.
    Mrs Finch wanted to finish the book she’d been reading so she could return it to the library; Alex had to report to the Royal Air Force headquarters on the other side of town; Cissy was still in bed asleep, and Anne had some washing to do before she helped Peggy with her shopping.
    ‘What about you, Sally?’ Peggy’s smile was warm, but her eyes were concerned.
    ‘I thought I’d see how far it is to Goldman’s. I don’t want to get lost and be late on me first day tomorrow.’
    ‘I’m surprised they want you to start on a Sunday,’ said Peggy. ‘Even though there is a war on, it’s still the Sabbath.’
    ‘They’re upping production according to Mr Solomon,’ she explained. ‘We’ll be working in shifts through the week, including Sundays.’ She didn’t add that it would mean extra pay if she worked Sundays.
    ‘It’s over a mile and a half, and will be a bit of a trek for Ernie,’ said Anne, thoughtfully. ‘He could stay here with me for the morning.’
    Sally did a quick calculation. The walk would certainly be too much for Ernie, and she doubted she could carry him that far – but she didn’t want to cause the family any upset by leaving him behind more than she had to. As it was, she would have to ask them to look after him when she was working. ‘If we walk slowly, we’ll be all right,’ she said without much conviction.
    ‘You’ll not be taking the boy that far,’ said Ron. ‘He’ll come with me and the lads up into the hills. Put some colour in his cheeks, so it will, and he can learn about Cleo and Delilah, and how they work with Harvey to catch