Jim had danced with Sarah, Jane and Sybil as well as every one of the nurses; sung out of key to the old favourites someone was bashing out on a piano, and suspected he’d probably blotted his reputation with Elsa after pulling her onto the dance floor and then giving her a hearty kiss.

He groaned at the memory and began to dress. He had a long day ahead of him and wasn’t looking forward to it, for the heat was already rising, and he had to face Elsa and Jane this morning. He could only hope that Sybil hadn’t taken it into her head to call in at the office on her way to the convent, for she too had witnessed his behaviour the previous night and he could well imagine what she must be thinking of him.

Combing his hair, he pulled on his peaked cap and picked up the briefcase he’d taken to carrying everywhere. He smiled wryly at his reflection in the wardrobe mirror, wondering what Peggy would think of this very different Jim.

The traffic was the usual nightmare of blaring horns and jams as cars, trucks, donkeys, wagons and rickshaws tried to dodge pedestrians and lines of chained Japanese prisoners. The trials had begun and the first executions would take place the following week, but in the meantime they’d been put to work mending the roads and sewers, and making much-needed repairs to important buildings like the hospital.

Jim’s shirt was already sticking unpleasantly to him as he parked the car and slowly headed into Raffles. If he’d learned one thing from being in the tropics so long, it was never to hurry anywhere, and to remain patient when everything seemed to take an age. The pace of life out here was necessarily slow, for they were only one degree north of the equator, and the heat could be a killer.

He tapped on the office door, steeling himself for a ribbing, then went in.

‘Well, well,’ said Elsa with a wry smile. ‘We didn’t expect to see you so early.’

‘How’s the head?’ asked Jane, shooting him a grin.

‘Still on my shoulders, but only just,’ he replied sheepishly. ‘Look, Elsa, I must apologise about last night.’

Elsa laughed. ‘There’s no need, Jim. I was actually rather flattered if the truth be known. I haven’t been kissed like that in more years than I care to remember.’

Jim reddened and didn’t know where to look as Jane giggled. ‘I’ve come for the personnel files of the men I’m to interview today,’ he said.

‘Ah, yes,’ replied Jane, getting to her feet and reaching for one of the box files on a nearby shelf. She placed it on the desk. ‘These men were flown in a week ago from camps thirty-two and fifty-nine. They’re all on rest and recuperation until passed fit enough to be sent back to England. I’ve removed the files of those who went straight to the hospital, and the files of those from Australasia, Holland and America have gone to their administrators.’