‘I told you . . .’ Katie stood at the top of the stairs, glad that her face was in the shadows. ‘We had to work late. There’s a proper flap on.’

‘Until nearly midnight?’

All she could do was keep heaping lie upon lie. ‘Well – yes. There’s a great big order come in. The factory’s running all night, and sometimes it all just piles up.’ She reached the bottom of the stairs, brazening it out. ‘It’s quite like to happen again, by the sound of things. I might be kept on late tonight.’

Vera examined her closely, eyes narrowed. Her face still showed the remains of her cold and Katie was struck again by how much older she looked. ‘Are you telling me the truth, Miss?’

‘Yes. Course I am! What else would I have been doing? There is a war on, you know,’ she added pertly, walking past her mother. Inside was a swelling sense of triumph. Why should Mother always have everything her way? I’ve got a heart that beats as well, she thought. ‘I must get some breakfast – I’m famished.’

Katie could hardly wait to get into the office again to see him. She stood in the crowded bus, full of anticipation of what she would see in his eyes when she walked in. Of course they needed to be careful, absolutely discreet, but she knew how his eyes could flash her a sign of what he really felt. They had often made humorous faces across the office already.

But she was in for a shock. All day Simon Collinge behaved as though last night had never happened, as if he barely knew Katie and she was nothing more than his senior colleague’s secretary. In fact when Mr Collinge senior came into the office during the morning while Lena Crosby happened to be out of the room fetching something, Simon sent Katie on an errand instead, speaking in a cool, clipped tone, which seemed designed only to put her in her place.

On her way along the corridor to fetch the drawings he had requested, she kept her head lowered, watching her neat black work shoes, stung almost to tears. How could he speak to her like that, and not even so much as look at her all morning, when last night . . . ? She felt hurt to the core. How could he switch like that and be so cold? But there were people around in the busy corridor and she couldn’t just let her emotions out. By the time she had gone to perform her errand and returned to Mr Graham’s office, she had pulled herself together. Of course her lovely Simon couldn’t let his feelings spill into his working life. It would have been quite wrong and embarrassing, especially in front of his father. Professional men did not behave like that! It did seem hard, though, having to shut all her passionate feelings away all day and pretend. If only he would give her just one little look, one sign!