Her hair was shining as it dried and with her cheeks glowing Holly thought how pretty she looked. She had clearly set her cap at Richard and Holly wondered how she would feel if he responded to her advances. But there was no time to ponder on that now because Angela had thoughtfully boiled the kettle for her, so she too disappeared behind the screen to wash herself and her hair.

When both girls were ready they set off for the mess.

‘It would have been nice if we could have worn our civvies,’ Angela commented as they cautiously picked their way across the duckboards once more. ‘But at least we had a clean uniform to put on.’ The uniforms were washed and ironed by a Frenchwoman in the nearby village and luckily the clean ones had been delivered back to them the day before. Unfortunately, as they only had two of each item, they often had to go onto the ward in blood-spattered uniforms but at least they felt clean today. The mess had a festive air about it too thanks to some bottles of home-made wine another villager had donated. The meal was surprisingly tasty: succulent chicken, crispy roast potatoes and a mountain of vegetables with thick gravy, and if either of the girls were feeling homesick and thinking of their families back home neither of them mentioned it. Everyone was in the same boat here so all they could do was make the best of it. They had almost finished eating when Richard and Harry appeared and after fetching their meals from a rosy-cheeked cook they joined them at their table.

‘Merry Christmas,’ Harry said brightly, raising his glass of wine. Then feeling in his pocket he produced a small, beautifully wrapped package which he passed across the table to Holly as Richard looked silently on. ‘I bought this before we came here,’ he told her. ‘And as you can’t go all the way back to England to change it, I hope you like it.’

Holly blushed to the roots of her hair wishing that the ground would open up and swallow her. ‘B-but I haven’t got you anything,’ she protested.

Harry waved aside her concerns as he lifted his knife and fork and tucked into his dinner. ‘I didn’t expect anything, so just open it, will you?’

Holly was all fingers and thumbs as she undid the ribbons to reveal a long, slender box. She sprang the lid and gasped as she stared down at a pretty gold bracelet. ‘B-but I can’t accept this,’ she said uncomfortably. ‘It’s far too much.’

Harry grinned. ‘Don’t worry about that. Do you like it?’

‘Well, if she doesn’t, I’ll have it.’ Angela giggled enviously.

‘Er … why don’t you keep it safe for me until the war is over,’ Holly suggested tactfully. ‘It’s not as if I can go anywhere to wear it out here is it?’

Harry looked hurt and she felt dreadful. It was a very kind thought but she wished that he hadn’t done it.