“I’m here,” Polly called to her, and before she could tell her, Eileen pattered down the side steps and started up the aisle, asking, “Why aren’t you rehearsing? And where’s the rest of the cast? I hope you haven’t been waiting for me to—Mr. Dunworthy,” she said, spotting him, “what are you doing here? Did something happen at St. Paul’s?”

“No,” Polly said. “Yes. Oh, Eileen, it’s Colin, and he’s here to take us home.”

“Colin?” she said joyfully, and turned to look at him, and as she did, her expression changed to one of—what? Shock? Dismay?

Polly looked questioningly at Colin, but he was staring at Eileen, and all the weariness had returned to his face.

What—? Polly thought, but the next instant she decided she must have been mistaken, that what she’d seen as dismay was only astonishment, because Eileen ran forward to embrace Colin.

“I knew you’d come!” she cried happily. “I told Polly things were happening behind the scenes.” She stood back to take a long, searching look at him and then smiled. “And here you are! I told them they mustn’t give up hope, that you wouldn’t let—” Her voice broke. “I knew you’d pull them out in time.”

“And you, you noddlehead,” Polly said. “Just think, you’ll never have to eat Victory Stew again.”

But Eileen didn’t laugh. She was looking at Mr. Dunworthy, her eyes full of tears. “You mustn’t cry,” said Polly. “This is a happy occasion. The drops are working again, and Charles is all right. He wasn’t in Singapore when the Japanese arrived. They were able to rescue him.”

“But not Mike,” Eileen said, looking at Colin.

“No.”

Eileen nodded slowly. “When I saw you, I thought perhaps he was all right, that he’d somehow told you where—How did you know where we were? There was no one left in Backbury or at Townsend Brothers who knew, and Mrs. Rickett’s …”

She looked intently at him, as if the answer was of immense importance. “How did you find us?”

“We can talk about that in Oxford,” Polly said. “We need to go before the raids get any worse.”

“You’re right,” Eileen said. “Of course,”

But neither Colin nor Mr. Dunworthy moved. All three of them stood there looking at one another, as if waiting for something.

“What—?” Polly asked, bewildered.

“You said you needed to tell them you’re leaving, Polly,” Colin said.

“Yes, and change out of my costume. Do the three of you want to go on ahead, and I’ll meet you at St. Paul’s?”

“No.” Colin was looking at Eileen. “We’ll wait for you.”

“I’ll be back straightaway,” Polly said, and ran down the aisle, up onto the stage, and into the wings.

Mrs. Brightford was there, attempting to repair the damage Alf and Binnie had inflicted on the bramble branches. “Have you seen Sir Godfrey?” Polly asked.

Mrs. Brightford shook her head. “I think he went to find a carpenter.”

Oh, no. She couldn’t leave without telling him goodbye. “You don’t know where, do you?”