Maggie watched as Ray unfolded his arms and gave a curt nod. He’d been acting strangely all morning. He’d ordered everyone to change the address on their ID cards to ‘Snowden Hall’ straightaway and sent two of the chaps to fetch their gas masks because, ‘Hitler won’t send a warning.’

Which had prompted Miss Sharp – who had been getting crosser and crosser every time Ray issued an order – to send Miss Davenport and Miss Fry up to their rooms to put stockings on.

‘Bare legs,’ she’d announced, ‘won’t be tolerated. Even in this warm weather.’

Now, she was sweeping back to her desk in undisguised triumph. It was clear she’d been building up to that outburst for a while.

Maggie felt rotten, she hadn’t meant to cause a row. She’d only been writing a letter to her little sister, in her tea break. Who’d have thought it would cause such a to-do? From now on she’d keep her head down.

A minute before lunch, Ray appeared at Maggie’s desk again. Blimey, now what? Was he coming to tick her off again?

He held his right hand out, palm upwards. It was a large, square hand with soft skin and ink-stained fingers. A bank clerk’s hand. She was ever so tempted to give it a slap.

He was biting his lip. He actually looked rather sheepish. He swallowed. ‘Miss Corbett, would you like me to post your letter?’

‘I wouldn’t trust ’im with that as far as I could throw ’im,’ Elsie muttered from the desk in front.

Ray’s stern voice and steely look of earlier had gone. It was as though he’d been playing a part. And not very well, at that.

‘I’m cycling down to the village,’ he said, tilting his chin. ‘Put a stamp on it and I’ll drop it in the post box for you, if you like.’ He seemed to sense her reluctance and added, ‘Unless you want to ride down there yourself, of course?’

He was having a laugh, wasn’t he? Maggie could no more ride a bicycle than fly to the moon.

‘There’s no need to glare at me like that,’ he said. ‘I shan’t steam it open and read it, I promise.’

‘Well, it’s written in invisible ink anyway, so you’d have a job,’ Maggie said.

Elsie laughed and even Ray gave a wry smile. Perhaps he wasn’t such a chump, after all. He was probably trying to make amends.

‘Very well,’ she said. ‘Thank you. If you don’t mind. It’s to my little sister. She’s a vackie round here. Gawd knows exactly where. Could be a mile away, could be ten. The sooner it gets there, the better.’

Chapter 12