‘Then you fold in the flour like this,’ Audrey said to Mary, gently showing the little girl how to make a chocolate cake. ‘We don’t make many of these since rationing, so now they seem even more delicious. Let’s get this one in the oven, shall we?’

To help Mary settle in and while she was waiting for her school place to be arranged, Audrey had set about giving Mary easy tasks to do in the bakery, which she seemed to enjoy. It quickly became clear she wasn’t going to speak and despite wanting to ask her directly why, Audrey instinctively knew to avoid the subject completely and that, in her own time, Mary would open up. In the meantime they would muddle through somehow.

Watching her now, as she helped Maggie stack freshly baked loaves like building blocks in the shop window, her little arms filled with the hot bread, Audrey tried to read her expression, but found it to be guarded. It was as if Mary’s body was there in the bakery, but her mind was elsewhere.

‘What I’d give for an orange,’ said Maggie, pausing from stacking to straighten her embroidered white Barton’s Bakery cap. ‘Old Reg has a crateful out front today but they’re just for the kiddies. He’s even got a sign up: “oranges for children only”. Mary, that means you can have one!’

Mary smiled up from under her fringe. In the last few days little smiles had crept onto her face, much to Audrey’s delight.

‘Children and expectant mothers, I believe,’ added Audrey, before regretting her words, biting her lip and stealing a glance at Lily, whose cheeks flushed pink. Audrey reminded herself that she must find time to speak to Lily about how her doctor’s appointment went, and to talk to her about her idea. Since Mary had arrived and Audrey had so desperately wanted her to feel comfortable at the bakery, she’d hardly had a moment spare.

‘It’s almost worth it!’ said Maggie, collapsing into laughter. ‘Oh Audrey, could we listen to Music While You Work on the wireless today? I know it’s for the munitions girls working long hours in the factories, but I reckon it would help the day go with more of a swing. What do you think, Mary?’

A little nod from the child. Audrey grinned at her.

‘After Charlie’s had his nap, yes, and as long as you won’t be singing along.’ Audrey smiled. ‘We don’t want our windows shattering.’

‘’S’all right,’ Maggie said, pointing at criss-cross tape over the shopfront. ‘The windows are stuck over with bombproof tape. I think they’ll withstand my soprano!’

Audrey laughed, grateful for Maggie’s upbeat manner. With the conflict worsening overseas, and Lily’s secret dilemma rumbling like distant thunder in the background, they needed all the laughs they could get. Now, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini had declared war on Britain and France and, days later, despite the best efforts of British and French troops, German soldiers had marched into the French capital, parading on the Champs Elysees, observed by horrified Parisians. Charlie hadn’t been able to stomach his breakfast after hearing the news that France had capitulated.

The customers wanted to talk of little else. ‘Can you imagine them coming here, marching up the High Street in their long black boots?’ asked Flo, ordering a portion of bread pudding. ‘I keep waking up in the night thinking they’re already here.’

‘Never,’ said Maggie, pinging open the cash till and scooping out Flo’s change. ‘You heard what Mr Churchill says: we shall never surrender!’

‘He’s got some good lines, that one,’ said Flo. ‘Anyway, Audrey, at least you have William and Elsie’s wedding to cheer you on, eh? Nice to have something to look forward to?’

Audrey, sorting out customer orders, alongside Lily who was helping in the bakery, was unusually quiet today. She’d been up half the night worrying about the news of France. How must the French people be feeling – Jacques and his family? Germany had invaded Poland, Denmark, Norway, the Low Countries and now France. Would it be Britain next?

‘I’ve also got this bag of icing sugar for you, to help with William and Elsie’s cake because I know it’s hard to get hold of these days, even for bakers,’ said Flo, handing over a small jar of white sugar.

Audrey snapped out of her thoughts, injecting life into her smile and eyes.

‘Oh you’re a kind sort,’ she said to Flo. ‘The sale of iced cakes has been totally banned by Lord Woolton, so this is a real prize. Thank you.’

‘There’s plenty more collecting who are planning to do the same,’ Flo said, moving in a bit closer to Audrey and lowering her voice. ‘How’s the little girl? Pat says she doesn’t speak. Is she a halfwit?’

‘No!’ said Audrey, hoping Mary hadn’t heard. ‘She’s just not speaking at the moment. I’m sure it’s to do with being away from home. Can’t be easy for the children, can it?’

‘Poor lamb,’ said Flo. ‘Oh, and have you heard about Crowne’s Bakery?’

‘No,’ said Audrey, her ears pricking up. Crowne’s was a bakery on the other side of Bournemouth that had always sold the most exquisite cakes. ‘What about them?’

‘They’re still selling meringues and iced buns and iced wedding cakes,’ she said, dropping her voice. ‘Under the counter, if you know what I mean. Mr Crowne says he’ll do anything to get his customers what they want. He says he’s got special means.’

Flo tapped her nose and lowered her voice to an almost whisper.

‘Apparently,’ she said, shiftily moving her eyes from left to right, ‘he meets up with other bakers from Hampshire and Wiltshire in a field in the middle of the night and they swap ingredients. If he’s got too much butter, he’ll swap it for a box of sugar and so on. Crafty ain’t it? Clever, some might say.’

Audrey sighed. Flo’s eyes were bright with espionage, but if she was looking for a rise she wasn’t going to get one.

‘Might land him in hot water if he’s not careful,’ said Audrey steadily. ‘One of the grocers got a huge fine for selling sugar “under the counter”. He sold it to an undercover inspector who arrested him a minute later!’

‘He never did!’ said Flo.

‘It’s true,’ said Audrey. ‘This woman came in with a sob story of how she needed extra sugar and would he be so kind and so on, and then, when he fell for it, she told him who she really was. How can you tell if someone’s an inspector or not? There’s no way of knowing! They don’t come in with an “Inspector” badge on their forehead. Mr Crowne should watch his back and so should his customers.’

Audrey paused and eyed Flo for dramatic effect.

‘Yes, well,’ said Flo, suddenly flustered. ‘I won’t be going there o’ course, I was just saying it’s amazing what goes on in this town! I hope the sugar helps.’

Audrey instantly softened. Touched by Flo’s gesture, she popped another bun in with her order. But the talk of Crowne’s unscrupulous ways made her cross. Charlie was a stickler for paperwork and keeping the ledger book up to date, but he never minded them being generous to their loyal customers and it was hard enough to balance the books without Crowne’s stealing their customers with tempting offers of iced cakes. There were a few Audrey could think of who owed for their bread – Mrs Collingham for one – but Charlie was generous where he could be, knowing she would pay her accounts when she could.

‘Their bread’s not a patch on yours,’ said Flo. ‘Besides, it’s a bleedin’ long walk to Crowne’s!’

They both laughed.

‘Bless you Flo,’ said Audrey. ‘Thanks for the sugar. This wedding really will be a community effort. It’s all last-minute, but we’ll do our best to give them a day to remember.’

‘In wartime you have to do what you can while you can,’ said Flo passionately. ‘I expect the moment William’s said, “I do”, and slipped a ring on her finger, he’ll be posted out again. War has changed everything and we all just have to adapt. Find happiness where we can, preferably not in the bottom of a bottle of whisky, like my Sidney…’ Flo’s face fell and her passionate speech petered out.

‘Oh Flo,’ said Audrey. ‘Not again.’

Flo shrugged her shoulders and smiled in resignation, the skin round her eyes crinkling.

‘Found him asleep in the yard this morning, near the pig swill bin, didn’t I?’ said Flo. ‘Got the fright of my life. Looked like a corpse. Thought he was dead and gone!’

‘You picked a wrong ’un there, Flo,’ said Maggie, overhearing.

Flo’s lips pursed together and though she tried to give a knowing smile, she looked like the wind had been knocked out of her.

‘You don’t pick who you love,’ Audrey said, despairing at Maggie’s tactless comment. ‘Love picks you. You don’t have any say in the matter.’

Audrey glanced at Lily, whose blush had deepened.

‘Talking of love,’ continued Maggie, unaware of any feelings she may have hurt. ‘Maybe you and me should go to a dance at the Pavilion, Lily, see if we can land ourselves a pilot for a husband? That’s one thing I’ll say for this war. The local lads have cleared out, but there are some more than decent replacements in town.’ Maggie burst into fits of giggles.

‘I’m not looking for a husband,’ said Lily. ‘Thanks anyway.’

‘Suit yourself,’ said Maggie.

‘Maggie,’ said Audrey, raising her eyebrows, then turning to face Lily, who was hurriedly undoing her apron, ‘still your tongue and serve these ladies please.’

‘Can you spare me for a moment?’ Lily said, her eyes on something beyond the shop window. ‘I need to call into the… chemist.’

Before Audrey could reply, Lily had pushed past the women waiting for bread and was out the door, crossing the road, narrowly missing being run over by a lorry delivering an ice block to the butcher. The driver had to brake hard to miss her. Lily raised her hand in apology and ran over to the café on the corner.

‘More haste, less speed,’ Audrey said, losing sight of Lily. Five minutes later, she was back, pale as milk.

‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost,’ said Maggie. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Yes,’ said Lily, with a smile that appeared suddenly and vanished just as quickly. ‘Fine. I just thought… it sounds daft, but I felt that someone was watching me from the café. There’s been someone sitting in there this afternoon, a man. It’s me being silly of course. I went to check to see if I could recognise anyone in there, but, nobody there of course. I’m seeing things!’

‘It’s the sea air,’ said Maggie. ‘You city folk can’t cope with it!’

Lily picked up her white cap and dropped it again, her hands clearly shaking. Audrey wanted to ask more questions, but Lily quickly turned to the next customer.

‘How can I help you, Mrs Douglas?’ she said, regaining her composure. ‘Remind me how you like your crust? Oven-bottom is it?’