The film was a jungle adventure, with animals roaring and natives throwing spears. ‘It’s supposed to be good,’ Alfie had told her along the way. ‘If it’s not, we’ll come out and go dancing at the Palais. There’s a good band on tonight.’

For now though, it was all they could do to get to their seats. ‘They would have to be right in the middle, wouldn’t they?’ he groaned, squeezing past people’s knees and constantly apologising when they cursed and complained. ‘Miserable blighters!’ he whispered, as they thankfully found their seats and made themselves comfortable.

Engrossed in the film, Alfie watched the hero fighting for his life, and it brought home to him the events of the recent war. He thought of how it might have been. ‘Sometimes I wish I’d been old enough to go in the Army during the war,’ he told Molly. ‘In a way, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to do my bit, but then you wonder about the ones that never came home, and you thank God for the chances you’ve been given.’

Taking hold of her hand, he held it tight between his large, strong fists. ‘We’re two of the lucky ones, you and me,’ he said. ‘We mustn’t waste a single minute, d’you understand what I mean, love?’

She told him she did, but her heart sank when she thought how close she was to shattering his contentment.

Excited and on edge, he couldn’t seem to settle. Every now and then he would whisper something in Molly’s ear and she would look up and smile. Then he’d kiss her, and they’d chuckle at some funny thing he might say, until suddenly Alfie was reeling from a clap round the head.

‘Young man, will you please be quiet!’ The woman behind was a sour-faced old biddy who was already wishing she had stayed home and put her feet up by the fire. ‘And keep your head still, or I’ll call the manager!’

Like a pair of naughty children, Molly and Alfie didn’t dare move after that. Instead, they sat very still and became very quiet, stifling their laughter until the interval, when the ice-cream and popcorn came round. Fishing in his pocket for change, Alfie asked Molly what she wanted.

‘Anything but popcorn.’ Molly discreetly gestured to the woman behind. ‘She’d be bound to find fault with that, especially when we started crunching and rattling the bag about.’

‘I’m not letting her tell us what we can and can’t have.’ And off he went, hackles up. ‘If I want popcorn, I’ll damn well have popcorn, and that’s that!’

Curious, Molly watched as he walked down the aisle to join the queue; the ice-cream attendant looked like a little soldier, with her newly pressed uniform and tray of goodies slung round her neck. ‘Oh, dear!’ Molly held her breath as the woman seated behind them suddenly went rushing down the aisle to position herself directly beside Alfie. ‘He won’t like that,’ she chuckled. ‘One word out of line and she’ll have him!’