But in the next instant her heart soared. She knew that voice – oh, how well she knew that voice! Hardly daring to believe it, she turned around slowly to stare at the man limping towards her, muffled in an RAF greatcoat; a short, stocky man, his black hair ruffled by the breeze . . .

As tears filled her eyes, his image blurred and wavered like a mirage so that for a moment she didn’t know if what she was seeing was real. She reached out and felt him grasp her hands in his and then – she knew he was real.

‘Danny!’ she gasped, and the tears spilled down her cheeks. ‘Oh, thank God you’re safe!’

Their questions were tumbling over each other until he said, ‘Come on, let’s find somewhere warm and a cup o’ tea.’

Once in the tea-room, sitting opposite each other over the small table, cocooned from the other travellers in their own little space, they began to talk.

‘Are you really all right? Why are you limping? What happened?’ her questions came again.

Danny winked at her and grinned widely. ‘I’m fine, honest. Oh, me leg’s bad though, but that’s all. That’s why I’ve been repatriated.’

‘Repatriated? Were – were you captured then?’

‘We’d reached the target, dropped our bombs and were banking away when we were hit. The pilot nursed the kite for several miles but I think we all knew we couldn’t make it back home. Anyway, he was doin’ his best to get as near to the coast as he could when one of the engines caught fire. He kept flying to give us all time to bale out, but I couldn’t get to me ’chute . . .’

Kate felt herself going hot at the thought; she well knew that the rear-gunner could not wear his parachute in the confines of his turret.

‘Well, there I was swivelling the turret so I could get out and take me chances by jumping just before the ‘plane crashed. And do you know what happened? The whole rear turret fell off! And guess what?’

Wordlessly, Kate shook her head.

‘It landed in a tree! I smashed me leg up badly, and because I tried to evade capture for two days, I didn’t get proper medical attention. It’ll never be right again.’

‘But you’re alive,’ Kate said.

Danny pulled a face. ‘If that tree hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be.’

‘Then thank goodness it was.’

They sat in silence for a moment, then she asked, ‘How come they’ve let you go?’

‘The leg won’t mend properly. They know I’ll be no good for any more fighting so . . . here I am. Mind you, I made ’em think me leg was a lot worse than it is. Reckon I deserve a medal for me acting!’

‘Oh Danny.’ She laughed and then wanted to know, ‘How did you get back?’

‘Through Sweden.’