‘When I ran away from school – remember? I walked for miles, got soaking wet – and lost! There’ll be nothing come along at this time of night to give us a lift. Shouldn’t think that carrier of mine’s out at this hour – even if he’s still around.’

‘Don’t be daft, Kate. That’s years ago. It’s a fine night – no rain. You’re not a fourteen-year-old kid any more, and besides . . .’

She could hear the amusement in his voice and although she couldn’t actually see it, knew he was smiling. ‘What?’

‘You’ve got me with you this time!’

‘Ah well,’ she said, laughing and linking her arm through his again. ‘That makes all the difference!’

‘I don’t know what we’re laughing for, ’cos there’s going to be hell to pay when we get back – it’ll be jankers at the very least for both of us.’

‘Oh, I’ll be all right,’ Kate said confidently. ‘I’m the CO’s pet driver.’

You wouldn’t think so, Kate was thinking to herself the next morning as she faced a livid Philip Trent across his desk, or that I’d saved his life – twice!

She was standing to attention, so rigidly that her back began to ache. It was like waiting for sentence to be passed. In this mood he was going to throw the book at her and, most likely, at her section commander too. She and Danny had walked up Steep Hill and out on to the Wragby Road. They’d only had to walk a couple of miles before they had hitched a lift to within two miles of Suddaby camp. Danny left her at the gate and disappeared into the night to get back to his own station. She wondered how he was faring now, up before his own CO!

Kate had reported to the guardroom, praying that it was Isobel’s friend on duty. But her luck had run out; the man was a stranger to her and one who obviously stuck rigidly to the rule book.

She had been reported to Chiefy for being half an hour late.

‘Oh Kate,’ Martin moaned at her, running his hand across his bald pate. ‘You would make life difficult. I can hardly confine you to barracks for a couple of days when you’re the CO’s driver.’ He’d sighed and fiddled with his pen on the desk. ‘Look, I’ll let it go this time. But we’ll have to hope the CO doesn’t hear about it, or we’re both in trouble.’

And now she was standing facing Group Captain Trent and wondering how on earth he had heard about her escapade.

‘Everyone else got back on time. Where were you?’ Philip barked, his handsome face creased with angry lines.

‘We took a walk, sir.’

‘We? Who’s we?’

‘Danny Eland, sir.’