‘Because, you know the funniest part?’ he shouted. ‘The biggest joke of all?’ He was holding his trilby, swapping it from hand to hand, searching for the right words. ‘It’s never telling you!’ he burst out, finally. ‘It’s never telling you how I felt before it was too late!’ He suddenly reached forward, put his hand around the back of her neck and, pulling her towards him, landed a kiss on her lips.

‘There!’ he said, pulling back. He was breathless, his eyes bright – oh and angry. That was the strangest thing, he was so angry.

‘I bloody love you, Maggie Corbett. There! Oh, blast! Here, have it all. My heart is yours. Do you hear? Now, do what the heck you like with it. Take it and—’ He flung his arm out and a passing soldier had to duck. ‘Throw it on the rubble with the rest of the wreckage from this whole, bloody war!’

He turned on his heels and stomped away. In seconds, he was gone, swallowed up by the crowds and it was as though he’d never been there.

Maggie touched her lips. She stared at the space where he’d been. She didn’t have the strength or the courage to follow him. She turned and walked slowly back towards what remained of her street, trying to make sense of what had happened.

Ray was cross and confused and he’d confused her because, somehow, he knew that Jack Rosman had asked her to marry him and he didn’t want her to.

Ray loved her.

‘Oh!’

There was another face in front of her – someone else she knew – and all thought of Ray and what he’d said and where he’d gone disappeared.

It was Kath. Kath Deacon. Her face pale and pinched, her eyes red. She looked exhausted.

‘Oh, Maggie, it’s you,’ she said. Her eyes filled with tears. ‘It’s no good, love. I saw the stretcher bearers bringing him out. I’ve been up to the mortuary.’ She shook her head and her voice cracked. ‘I’m sorry, Maggie. It’s your dad, love. I’m afraid, he’s gone.’

Chapter 50

For once in her life, Charity Richmond was lost for words.

She put her shandy down on the bar and stared at Maggie, aghast. ‘Jack Rosman asked you to marry him?’

‘Sshh!’ Maggie said, glancing around. She gestured at Charity to lower her voice. The pub was almost empty but Derek the barman was only a few feet away and a couple of the old chaps were sitting up at the bar.

‘Gosh!’ Charity said, shaking her head. ‘Was he drunk? Sorry, but – what on earth did you say?’

Maggie shrugged. ‘I said I’d think about it and when I was stuck down in the shelter that night, that’s what I did.’

Charity ran her fingers through her hair. ‘Oh yes. The night you went AWOL and gave us all a nervous breakdown.’