Sealed With a Loving Kiss (40 page)

CORDELIA FINCH
has been living at Beach View for many years. She is in her late seventies and is rather frail from her arthritis. But Cordelia has a twinkle in her eye and loves being an intrinsic part of the lively household. She enjoys singing along to the wireless and having too many sherries in The Anchor. As deaf as a post, she regularly forgets to turn on her hearing aid which can lead to many a convoluted conversation, and although she tries very hard with her knitting, it usually turns out to be a disaster. She adores Peggy and looks on her as a daughter, for her own sons emigrated to Canada many years before and she rarely hears from them. The girls who live at Beach View regard her as their grandmother.

HARVEY
is a brindled lurcher, with a mind of his own and a mischievous nature – much like his owner, Ron. Clever and intuitive, he hunts for game with Ron, and once war has been declared, proves to be a heroic rescuer of people trapped in the ruins of their homes. He sleeps on Ron's bed, steals food from the table and has recently blotted his copybook by seducing a pedigree whippet and producing a son, Monty. Harvey adores everyone but Doris.

DORIS WILLIAMS
is Peggy's older sister and married to the long-suffering Ted who is manager of the Home and Colonial store. She lives in the posh part of town, Havelock Road, looks down on Peggy and the boarding house and is a terrible social climber. She's a leading light – or would like to be – in Cliffehaven society, is on the board of several charities – because it brings her into contact with Lady Chumley – and insists upon calling Peggy Margaret because she knows it winds her up like a clock.

ANTHONY WILLIAMS
is the son of Doris and Ted, and before the war was a teacher at a private school. He's now working for the MOD, and has recently got married to Suzy who was a lodger at Beach View Boarding House.

RITA SMITH
came to Beach View after her home in Cliffehaven was flattened by an air-raid. Her father is away in the army, her Italian neighbours who took her in have been interned and so she goes to Peggy, whom she's known since childhood. Rita is small and an energetic tomboy who is a fully qualified mechanic, having been taught from an early age by her father. She has a motorbike which she roars about on, and can usually be seen in heavy trousers and boots, and a First World War leather jacket and flying helmet. She works for the Fire Service, and in her spare time has been organizing motor bike races to raise money for a Cliffehaven Spitfire.

FRAN
is from Ireland and works as a theatre nurse at Cliffehaven General alongside Suzy. She has been living with Peggy since before the war, and has become an intrinsic part of the family. Fran is a little inclined to wear her heart on her sleeve, and has already had an unfortunate run-in with an over-persuasive and very married American serviceman. She's a dab hand at hairdressing, much to Ron's disgust – but has proved to be a very talented violinist. She plays the violin at The Anchor for the sing-songs, and has fallen in love with Robert who was Anthony and Suzy's best man.

PEGGY'S CHILDREN

ANNE
is married to Commander Martin Black, an RAF pilot, and they have two small girls. Ann has moved down to Somerset for the duration, and although she is teaching at the local village school and getting on with her life, she misses Martin and of course her mother, Peggy.

CICELY
, (Cissy) is a driver for the WAAF and is stationed at Cliffe Aerodrome. She once had ambitions to go on stage, but finds great satisfaction in doing her bit, and has now fallen in love with a young Spitfire pilot.

BOB
and
CHARLIE
are Peggy's two young sons of fourteen and twelve, who are also living in Somerset for the duration.

DAISY
is the youngest child, born the day Singapore fell. She can sleep through air-raids, can throw awful tantrums and simply adores pulling Ron's wayward eyebrows. She and Harvey are best of friends.

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Copyright © Ellie Dean 2015

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First published in Great Britain by Arrow Books in 2015

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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781784750916