‘Don’t see why not,’ said Maude. ‘They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and if Ralph rejected her advances, I think she’d take pleasure in rubbing his nose in things.’

‘Then why didn’t she do it when she had the opportunity?’ Josie asked. ‘You’d have thought it was the ideal time to tell him about Liv and Ted, but she didn’t.’

‘True,’ Olivia admitted.

‘Unless she really was caught up in the moment and regretted it straight away,’ said Josie, ‘because that’s the only reason I can think of for her not spilling the beans.’

‘Acting on impulse?’ said Olivia thoughtfully. ‘I suppose it’s possible. They were very fraught circumstances – not that that’s an excuse, mind you.’

‘When you put it like that, even though she was wrong, perhaps she really regrets her actions and can’t bear to see you every day,’ Josie said.

‘Now that makes much more sense,’ said Olivia. ‘It was probably something and nothing, but she feels guilty after I stood up for her when the balloon broke loose that time.’

‘There you have it,’ Josie agreed. ‘So, what are you going to do about it?’

Olivia shrugged. ‘Can’t see as there’s much I can do, because I still don’t have any detailed information, and after our chat about Ted I’m not in a position to badger Ralph to tell me the truth.’

‘Shame, though,’ said Maude. ‘One silly mistake and she’s been punishing herself for months.’

‘I’d like to tell her to forget all about it,’ said Olivia, ‘but I can hardly do that when I don’t know what I’m telling her to forget.’ She glanced at the Waafs who were coming towards them to take over patrolling the fence. ‘That’s us done for the night. Anyone fancy a cuppa before bed?’

Maude yawned widely, setting off a chain reaction in her friends. ‘Not for me, ta, I’m whacked.’

‘Me too,’ yawned Josie, ‘all this thinking’s done me in.’

Olivia stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. ‘Crikey, we’d best get to bed whilst we’ve the energy.’

The girls had a quick chat with the next shift before making their way back to their billet.

‘Thanks for helping me work a few things out,’ said Olivia. ‘It’s a lot easier with friends to talk to.’

Maude placed her arm through Olivia’s. ‘That’s what friends are for.’

Ted’s train pulled into the station at Shirehampton and he immediately began to scan the platform for Olivia, and was delighted when he saw her waving at him. He pulled his kitbag out from under the seat and made his way to the door of the carriage, pushing the window down. As the train drew to a halt, he leaned out and twisted the handle of the door, grinning at Olivia who was smiling shyly at him.

‘Hello, queen!’

She beamed at him. ‘Hello, Ted. Good journey?’