‘Slowly, with lack of exercise and malnutrition, a dreadful torpor crept over me,’ he said, his eyes roving from person to person. ‘In its way, it was every bit as merciless as the cold. My light and fuel were running low, as were my rations. I could only lie in darkness, wondering what was happening in the outside world, waiting to be rescued. I had ice in my sleeping bag and painful frostbite in my fingers and toes. Sometimes, I’d try and cheer myself up by singing. It was an awful din, but there was no one around to hear.’

He closed his eyes for a moment. ‘As each day passed without relief, I grew closer to the limits of endurance. Yet a strange thing happened: I felt more and more certain that my friends wouldn’t let me down. I can’t explain, but it was clear to me that although I was helpless, some higher power was on my side. God didn’t want me to die alone on the ice cap. Twice, quite clearly, I heard my name being spoken, and the voice was Mollie’s.’

Wallis gasped.

‘On May the fifth, his primus stove died,’ Mollie said. ‘Within an hour he heard a loud noise outside and a hole of blinding daylight appeared in the roof. It was the rescue party who had found the station.’

‘It was a miracle!’ exclaimed Ginie.

‘Yes,’ August agreed, his eyes on Mollie. ‘It was a marvellous moment. The whole world seemed tipped upside down. One minute I was trapped in a dark hole under the snow, wondering if I would ever see another human being or ever get home, and the next, home and Mollie were within my reach.’

They gazed at August in admiration. ‘What an extraordinary story,’ said David.

‘You have the most amazing courage,’ added Wallis.

After the meal, there was dancing under the hammerbeam roof and a firework display. Cries of pleasure rang out as the multi-coloured lights burst against the night sky. A brilliant flare danced above the hall, illuminating the stained glass windows. David stood beside Ginie.

‘It really is a magnificent building; you’ve done a wonderful job restoring it. My sister-in-law, Elizabeth, would like to come and see it. She’s something of a history buff.’

‘We would love to have her,’ Ginie answered at once. ‘We will write to her tomorrow.’

‘Don’t mention me,’ Wallis whispered in her ear. ‘Elizabeth always had her eye on David, but he wouldn’t look at her.’

She put a finger on her lips and winked. Ginie gave her a surreptitious smile back. A rocket exploded, sending showers of sparks tumbling like a scarlet waterfall, and happiness bubbled up inside Ginie, but it felt fragile, fleeting. She wanted to grasp the moment and keep hold of it. At this exact point in time, I am glad to be me.