There was the wide Hooghly River which divided the city on the east bank from vast stretches of wetlands on the western side, and fed into the mouth of the Ganges. They looked down at dilapidated buildings, grand mogul palaces, overcrowded slums, and narrow streets jammed with kiosks, wandering cattle, scavenging dogs, thieving monkeys and people – so many people they were like an ever-shifting tide of colour and confusion.

As the pilot took the plane into a wide arc over the mouth of the Ganges into the Bay of Bengal, they saw exotic temples, street markets, hovels and towering pillars of buildings jammed close together and leaning like weary soldiers on parade. These clearly housed many families within their ochre walls, for they could see lines of washing hanging out and people moving in and out of it. Women in gloriously coloured saris were doing their laundry on the banks of the river where children splashed and others bathed, perhaps following the timeless rituals of their Hindu religion in this holiest of waterways.

The plane began to descend as the heavens opened and rain thundered on the fuselage to streak over the windows and blot out the view. With a roar of its engines it hovered for a moment above the choppy water and then landed with a soft bump to a smattering of relieved applause from the passengers.

The floats churned across the water as the seaplane turned and slowly headed for the series of docks they could see at the foot of the busy wharf. There were three other planes lying idle, and Sarah wondered if they’d been grounded because of the weather. Certainly, it would have been madness to set out in this.

As the hostesses bustled about and everyone hastened to get out of their seats, the pilot came into the cabin with a broad smile. ‘Welcome to Calcutta,’ he drawled. ‘I reckon we might have to stay here for a while until this weather passes over, but we’ll be on our way to Singapore as soon as we can. No worries.’

Jane leapt from her seat and threw her arms around him, dealing him a resounding kiss on both cheeks. He looked shocked and went red, and the others in the cabin tittered, unsure of what was going on.

Jane ignored them all. ‘Thank you so much,’ she breathed. ‘I really thought we’d bought it – but you got us through.’

He went an even deeper scarlet. ‘Fair go, miss. I didn’t spend the flaming war fighting the Luftwaffe for nothing, you know. When the going gets rough, a bloke’s gotta get tough. Otherwise where would we all be, eh?’

He earned himself another round of hearty applause and suddenly everyone wanted to shake his hand and thank him.

Sarah rolled her eyes at her sister and fetched their bags. ‘Honestly, Jane. The poor man didn’t know where to put himself. Do try and behave.’

Jane just laughed, took charge of her bag and headed for the door. ‘In my book, he’s a hero – and that deserved some recognition. Now which hotel are we in tonight? I could murder a gin and tonic before dinner.’