‘Danny. What are you doing here?’ In her joy at seeing him her anger with him was swiftly forgotten. But in the next moment her delight turned to apprehension. He looked very solemn and somehow strangely ill at ease. ‘Kate,’ he said, taking her arm. ‘There’s something I have to tell you.’

Fear stabbed her. ‘Is something wrong at home?’

He hesitated a fraction of a second, but then shook his head. ‘Come on, let’s go somewhere quiet.’

Having booked in at the guard-room, Danny took her arm and together they walked round the edge of the airfield. It was sultry; the only sound in the stillness was a bee buzzing along the hedgerow.

‘Kate – Rosie and I – we’re going to get married.’

She stood still, her mouth slightly open. The sun beat down mercilessly, so hot upon her head, that she felt dizzy.

‘What? You’re not serious, Danny?’

‘We’ve spent a lot of time together lately – when I’ve been home on leave.’

She thrust her face close to his. ‘Yes – when you’ve been home without me! Now I see why.’

‘It’s not like that, Kate. Be reasonable.’

‘Reasonable, reasonable? You ask me to be reasonable when you’re – you’re going to get married and to – to her? Why are you doing it, Danny? To keep her away from the soldiers? Think she’ll be safe, married to you? “Oh, I’ll sort her out,” you said,’ she mimicked bitterly. ‘Well, ya’ve certainly done that, bain’t ya?’ The dialect was strong now; she was angry. She prodded his shoulder with her forefinger. ‘Ya don’t have to marry the little bitch to stop her getting ’ersen into trouble, Danny.’ She saw him wince and look away from her with a look of disgust on his face. A stab of fear shot through her. She was losing him.

‘It’s not like that, Kate,’ he said quietly. ‘I’m – very fond of Rosie. I want to marry her.’

‘You wanted to marry me. Remember?’ Her voice rose and she jabbed her finger into her own chest. ‘Me!’

Soberly, he nodded, his voice scarcely above a whisper. ‘I remember.’

They stared at each other; she, hurt and resentful, he, determined yet with an air of sorrow. In his deep brown eyes there was still a sadness for what might have been, but could never be.

‘Don’t pity me,’ Kate spat at him.

He shook his head. ‘Oh, Kate, Kate. Why are you acting like this? I thought you’d be pleased. I thought you loved Rosie . . .’

‘I did,’ she almost screamed. ‘That’s what makes it worse. She was my friend – and she’s betrayed me. If you had to get married then I’d rather it be anyone else rather than Rosie. Anyone but Rosie.’

‘But – but why? She’s still your friend, she loves you dearly. She’s going to be so hurt that you . . .’