Kate shook her head – and then wished she had not done so for the throbbing increased. She looked at Mavis’s troubled face. ‘He said you two got back okay. Is that right? You – you didn’t get caught?’

Mavis glanced across at Isobel. ‘No, he was marvellous. Dropped us off a few yards from the gate and we walked in cool as you like. Oh, wasn’t he terrific about it, though?’ Mavis said again, a dreamy expression in her eyes.

Kate was relieved. ‘That’s all right, then.’

‘I must say he was jolly decent,’ Isobel agreed magnanimously. ‘Is he sweet on you or something, Kate?’ she added bluntly.

Before Kate could refute such a suggestion, Mavis burst out, ‘I jolly well hope not. He’s married!’ Kate and Isobel stared at her.

‘Is he now?’ Isobel said softly, but Kate said nothing.

She was surprised at the shaft of disappointment that shot through her. ‘How – how do you know?’

‘Dave says . . .’

‘Ah well, there we have it, then,’ Isobel mocked. ‘If the fountain of all knowledge says he’s married, then married he must be.’

‘Shut up, Iso. Dave told me,’ Mavis continued patiently. ‘He’s mates with the Adjutant in the CO’s office – Parkes. His wife often rings up. Says she’s got an aw’fly posh voice. Quite la-di-da.’

Isobel smoothed her blonde hair. ‘I’m absolutely devastated,’ she said, looking anything but. ‘I’d begun to think our lovely CO would be quite a catch. But married – oh dear me no. There’s no future in that. Only a lot of heartache.’

Kate glanced at her. How coldly calculating Isobel Cartwright was. There were times when Kate thought the girl had not really changed that much since their school days.

‘Excuse me, I’ve got to go out again. The CO wants driving to East Markham.’ She saw the other two exchange a worried glance.

‘Will you be all right?’ Isobel asked, and there was no mistaking the genuine concern in her tone now. ‘I mean – he’s there, isn’t he?’

Instantly Kate regretted her uncharitable thoughts about Isobel.

She managed to give them a wan smile. ‘I’ll be fine. Danny – Danny won’t be there. Don’t you remember? He’s on honeymoon!’

Safely out of sight of the guard-room, Kate stopped the car and slid from the driver’s seat. Philip took her place. ‘Don’t stand there dithering, get in the front.’

He drove fast but expertly and after a mile or so, she began to relax and some of the guilt for her foolish behaviour began to ebb away. About midway between the two camps, he pulled over on to a wide grass verge on the top of a hill and cut the engine. They sat looking at the scene before them.