The airman saw them and stopped mid-sentence, then laughed. ‘Gosh, look at you two!’ He put out his thumb as though hitching a ride. Ray gave them a wide berth and a curt nod. He heard Maggie utter a small, ‘Hello,’ then he pushed down hard on the pedals, to get past as fast as possible.

What was going on? Call-Me-Jack had been all over Maggie like a rash at the air raid drill and now he was acting as though he hardly knew her. It would put anyone out, to be treated like that. Poor Maggie. If only they hadn’t come this way, or had gone past half an hour later and not seen them at all.

Ray applied the brake as they reached the lane. ‘Better check first,’ he said. ‘Don’t want to get knocked down by a haycart or a flock of sheep!’

Behind them, he heard the door of the gatehouse open and then close. They’d gone inside.

‘Right,’ he said, ‘remember, don’t try to steer. Keep straight, else we’ll crash. Keep in line with the tandem and lean if we go round a bend.’

‘Anything else?’ Maggie said, speaking at last.

‘You could do a bit of back rubbing now and then if you fancied it, or sing encouraging songs, that kind of thing.’

Oh blimey, he wished he could take that back. Maggie was silent behind him. He was trying to cheer her up but he’d missed the mark completely. Sometimes, he simply couldn’t help himself; the old Ray came out.

‘Sorry,’ he muttered under his breath and then, ‘Off we go, then!’

It took a little while to get the spin right. At first, he was turning the pedals too fast.

‘Hey, slow down, I can’t keep up!’ Maggie called out.

But once they got into a rhythm, it was better. It was surprisingly easy to talk too and that uncomfortable moment seemed to be forgotten.

‘Don’t coast,’ Ray said. ‘Even if you’re tired. It’s better to keep your legs moving. You don’t have to press down hard and it’ll stop your legs stiffening up.’

The air smelled fresh after all the recent rain and it was fun, splashing through the puddles. It felt good to be out of Snowden Hall and away from the others. As long as he could cheer Maggie up, they were in for a good time.

As they cycled down the lane towards the village, Ray called back, ‘Hey, I’ve got news. I’ve joined up!’

‘You haven’t!’ Maggie thumped him lightly on the back.

‘Both hands on the handlebar at all times please, Miss Corbett!’ He hoped she could tell he was teasing.

Of course, she didn’t believe him. Was it that obvious – the unlikelihood of him enlisting?