Goodness, they came so close! For a moment I was back in the water, descending through the detritus and carnage, following Sissy’s watch to the bottom. I had thought it was a torpedo rushing towards me, because I had seen them, hundreds of them, lined up in Sissy’s book. I had never seen a live dolphin before and had no notion they were so intelligent. I felt blessed.

Perkins rocked back and forth, rubbing his thigh.

‘Are you in pain, soldier?’ I asked, reluctant to turn away from the water.

He nodded; lips a thin line, face ashen.

‘Oh, please, Nurse Josephine, can we help him?’ Suddenly, my heart ached for poor Corporal Perkins.

Josephine felt his forehead and took his pulse. ‘Too much activity all at once.’ She turned to Manno. ‘Is it much further?’

‘Another two hours, maybe. We are halfway. You want I make a bed with the nets so he can lay down in the bottom of the boat?’ She nodded. Yianni took the tiller and they all gripped the sides as Manno manoeuvred the mail sack to the back of the boat. He gathered the great pile of nets into the centre. Josephine’s face stiffened. She focused on her patient, and struggled to get Perkins prostrate on the fishing gear.

‘I’m going to give you a shot to ease your pain, Perkins,’ she said, kneeling at his side and producing a hypodermic from her medical bag. She turned to Manno who was standing firmly with his hands on his hips as if on dry land.

‘Can you stop the boat for a moment? I need to be accurate with the needle.’

Manno spoke to his father, and Yianni turned off the engine. The silence was wonderful. The little boat lifted and dropped gently on the swell. Perkins groaned as Josephine injected the morphine.

‘You’ll feel better in a few moments, Corporal. Relax now,’ she said.

‘Look,’ Perkins whispered, staring at the sky. ‘Vultures, up there, waiting for the end of me.’

We all turned our faces up. A large bird hovered above us, its body perfectly still, wings shivering so fast they appeared to hardly move.

Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

SHELLY

Dover, present day.

ON SHELLY’S DAY OFF, A letter came in the post; this time for Gordon. Shelly’s curiosity rose when she heard him chuckle.

‘Everything OK, Dad?’

‘Um, yes, why shouldn’t it be?’ Gordon said, squirrelling the letter back into the envelope, stuffing it into his pocket. ‘Just a race entry form. How about you?’ He nodded at her tablet.

She stared at the email from Harry, then read through it again with her hand over her mouth. Her dad couldn’t possibly know how she felt about Harry, yet he stared at her with an all-knowing look.