"I took it with milk -- when I was younger. And sugar when we could get it."

She grew up in the 20s and 30s. Rationing, and its after-effects, had shaped a great deal of what was tasty and what was appropriate. Although the Carters never hurt for food or even small luxuries during the worst of it, they still lived modestly by the future's standards. Or so it seemed.

"But then war broke out again and," and what? Peggy wets her lips, trying to decide on her wording. "And suddenly there's a lot that's a damn shot more important than whether you find milk for your tea. So you adapt. You start drinking it black like all the old hands do. You learn to like it."

So. Yes. A bit of steel, indeed.