‘I will, though,’ Bonnie said miserably. ‘I can’t help it. I was being vindictive, whether I knew the outcome or not. I didn’t stop to think. I was more bothered about getting my own back, which is ridiculous because George didn’t really do anything to me, bar stick up for Jess and Ruby when I was poking my nose in.’ She shook her head. ‘I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since bumping into you and Olivia, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I was angry at my own father for scarpering the moment he found out Mam was pregnant. He’s the reason why I grew up in an orphanage even though I wasn’t an orphan.’ She sighed heavily. ‘I couldn’t fit in with everyone else, no matter how hard I tried, and even though Mam did her best to let me know I was loved, it didn’t stop me feeling like an outcast.’ She shook her head sadly. ‘I assumed the other girls hated me because I was lucky enough to have my mam, so I was nasty to them before they could be nasty to me.’

‘You’ve got to stop carrying this burden around with you,’ said Maude. ‘In some respects it was nobody’s fault – you’re just the product of your circumstances – and those days are far behind you.’ She placed a reassuring hand over Bonnie’s. ‘It’s time for you to leave them there.’

Bonnie jutted out her chin in determination. ‘You’re right, and I’ll help Olivia find her daughter if it’s the last thing I do, because I’m not that girl any more.’

Spring 1944

Tom Durning lay in his bed, waiting for the bell signalling an attack to ring. The war had moved up a gear of late, and even though they weren’t privy to the whispered conversations and secret meetings, they all knew something big was coming their way, which was confirmed when all leave was cancelled.

Tom jumped as a soldier rapped a brief tattoo on the door to his shared room. ‘Phone call.’

A look of anxious anticipation swept over Tom as he got to his feet. ‘Anyone I know?’

‘Sally Durning.’

Tom raised his brow. Sally Durning used to serve on the same base as him. She was a nice enough girl, but because of their surnames people were forever getting their mail muddled. He couldn’t think why she’d want to speak to him after such a long time. He made his way to the office and picked up the receiver. ‘Hello, Sal, what can I do for you?’

‘Hello, Tom. I’m afraid my reason for getting in touch is rather bitter-sweet.’ She cleared her throat. ‘Remember Bonnie McKinley?’ She broke off as Tom’s spluttered response came down the receiver.

‘How can I forget?’ he said bitterly. ‘What’s she done this time and how does it involve me?’

‘I don’t know. She wouldn’t say anything, only that she needed to speak to you as a matter of urgency and that it involved a Jessica Wilson?’