He stood up and Kate followed suit, placing her empty cup back on the tray. He was moving towards the door and opening it for her. ‘And this is the last time I’ll be able do this for you. I’m afraid you’ll have to open it for me in future.’

She smiled and then, deliberately adopting a bland expression before leaving his office, she saluted smartly and said, ‘Sir!’

Kate threw her kit-bag on to the end bed nearest the big grey stove – Mavis already having laid claim to the bed opposite – and surveyed the rest of the hut. ‘Did you have a good Christmas, Mave? There doesn’t seem to be many here yet.’

There appeared to be only three other beds occupied besides the one she was now claiming.

‘Yes, thanks. There’s more arriving later today.’ Mavis bounced down on the unoccupied bed next to Kate and lay back with her hands behind her head. ‘Two more R/T operators and a meteorologist. You and me are lucky to know each other. I guess for a while we shan’t know anyone else. They’ll be coming from all over.’

‘Mmm,’ Kate agreed absently, and sighed. All she hoped was that her recent letter to Danny got delivered to him all right and that he knew where she was. Wouldn’t he be surprised that she’d met up again with Philip Trent and that from now on she’d be seeing him every day? She must write at once and tell him . . .

Almost as if reading her thoughts, Mavis said, ‘I hear you’re the envy of the camp. Landing a job as driver to the dishy CO. Lucky old you!’

Kate just smiled.

‘Mind you,’ Mavis went on, ‘there’s a rather nice Flight Sergeant in the Ops Room . . .’

‘Oh, Mavis, you’re impossible!’

Kate sat down on her bed and pulled out her writing pad.

‘Oh, you’re not writing to him again, are you?’ Mavis cast her eyes to the rafters in mock exasperation. ‘And you try to tell me he’s not your boyfriend!’

Kate said nothing, but bent her head over the page and began to write, ‘Dear Danny . . .’

The door of the long hut opened and two newcomers entered. Mavis twisted her head to look towards the door but made no effort to move from the bed.

‘Hello there,’ she called cheerily. ‘Welcome to your new home.’ Now she levered herself up on her elbow, swung her legs off the bed and sat up. ‘I’m Mavis and this is Kate.’

The two arrivals walked down the length of the hut, a tall, slender girl with sleek blonde hair leading the way with confidence in every stride, while behind her came a smaller, thin girl.

Ignoring Mavis’s greeting, the tall girl was complaining loudly in affected tones, ‘If I have to endure another Free From Infection inspection just once more . . . it’s so humiliating!’