He reached forward, hand on her arm. ‘Betty, please,’ he said. ‘Please. Hear me out.’ He hadn’t expected to see her here, had no idea how to explain, even though he’d spent the summer talking to her in his head. It was like this, Betty…

She shook him off but he saw her hesitate, face him. ‘Not here. Outside.’ She rushed for the door and he followed her. She sprinted, round the corner, towards Soho Square. It was hard to keep up with her. She went into the square and stopped, bending over like an athlete, catching her breath.

Betty stood up straight and stared him in the face, eyes hard, mouth set. ‘You used me,’ she said. ‘You used and abused me.’ She was swallowing, trying not to cry.

‘Betty,’ he said. ‘No, listen, it wasn’t like that.’

‘Then what was it like?’ She pursed her lips, hissed. ‘Seems to me if someone says “This has to end,” there’s no mistaking.’ She sniffed. ‘I gave myself to you. You were the first. I thought we had a future. Then you just…’ She swallowed back the tears. ‘Chucked me away. Soiled goods.’

He held his face in his hands. This wasn’t how he’d imagined the conversation would go.

‘And now,’ she said. ‘I’m—’ She broke off her sentence, shook her head, pulled down her Alice band, pushed it back up, catching her hair away from her face, turned and walked towards the market cross in the centre of the square. This was his last chance. He ran up, grabbed her, spinning her round. She glowered, pushed his hand away from her arm.

‘You’re what? What were you going to say?’

‘Nothing. Doesn’t matter.’ She stepped out again.

‘You looked upset.’

‘Of course I’m upset.’ She faced him, voice raised in fury. ‘I’m devastated. I’ve never been so hurt, so…’ Her lips moved as she groped for a word. ‘So debased.’

‘Betty,’ he said. ‘It just wasn’t like that. I thought your life could be in danger if you were with me.’

She stared at him. ‘Are you mad?’ She twisted her forefinger on her temple. ‘Paranoid?’

He shook his head. ‘Nothing like that, Betty. It’s a long story.’ He took a breath. ‘You need to know, be aware.’

She stood, arms akimbo. He should never have panicked, never have parted. He could have told her, explained. Between them, they would have worked something out. She would keep a secret, he was sure.

‘Make me aware.’