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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