‘Oh, frequently,’ she responded lightly, and although she did not resist when the band began to play ‘Over the Rainbow’ and Sandy pulled her into his arms again and rested his cheek against her hair, she could not help thinking, ‘If only Danny could hold me like this’.

Then resolutely she pushed the thought of Danny Eland from her mind. Sandy seemed a nice boy with his open, honest face and laughing eyes. She’d seen him once or twice around camp when he’d given her a cheeky wink. Perhaps he could be the one to help her forget? Deliberately, she snuggled closer into his arms, closed her eyes and tried to let the soft, dreamy music engulf her.

On Tuesday evening when Kate parked the staff car and went into the station to meet Philip Trent, she found that his train from York had been delayed by an air-raid warning.

‘I haven’t a clue when it’ll get here, Miss,’ the ticket-office clerk told her, shrugging indifferently. ‘It’s getting harder and harder to keep to any sort of timetable these days. Trains come and trains go, Miss, that’s all I can promise. But when – now that’s a different matter.’

Kate pulled a face and then smiled at him. It wasn’t this poor man’s fault that the war was disrupting all his carefully planned timetables. It must be a nightmare for the railway staff at times, she thought. ‘Well, thanks anyway. I’d better hang around. I wouldn’t like to be missing when it does get here.’

The man pointed. ‘There’s a waiting room there and you might just wangle a cup of tea from the ladies over there.’

Kate turned to see that a train had just pulled into the station and a tidal wave of khaki was flowing on to the platform as troops spilled off the train. Set against the wall at the rear of the platform was a long trestle-table on which were numerous cups and a huge tea-urn. Behind the table two women in WVS uniform dispensed tea to the soldiers.

Kate nodded to the clerk. ‘Thanks. I’ll let the rush subside a little and then I’ll see if they’ve any left.’

Half an hour later, Kate approached the two women. She had been standing a little way off watching them while they handed out cups of tea, always smiling, a cheery word for each soldier, and although the queue stretched right down the platform, they appeared calm and unhurried. But by the time Kate felt she could join the queue the two middle-aged ladies were red-faced and flustered and beads of sweat stood on their foreheads. Kate glanced up the track. There was no sign of the train she awaited, so she left the queue and pushed her way to the end of the table.