Roz wrinkled her nose in disgust. ‘I don’t know how anyone can eat those things, they’re full of gristle.’

He laughed softly. ‘Sarnie it is!’ He held out two sandwiches. ‘Cheese and pickle or pickle and cheese?’

Laughing, Roz pretended to mull it over. ‘It’s a tough decision, but I’ll take pickle and cheese, please.’

‘Wise choice,’ said Felix, handing one of the sandwiches over.

As Roz bit into it she pondered over how much her life had changed in such a short space of time, and how very different it would be again, in a few days’ time. She gave Felix a sideways glance to see what he was looking at and blushed as their eyes met. Felix hastily averted his gaze, as though embarrassed that he had been caught staring. This, and the suggestion from Mabel that they were going for a romantic picnic, caused Roz to think about the question that she had been avoiding ever since Felix first said he would find a place of his own so that they could live together. What would people say? She knew it shouldn’t bother her because it was none of their business, but she also knew they would be right to question it, because even though they both insisted they were just friends, she felt it increasingly obvious that if it weren’t for their circumstances, as likely as not they would be a lot more than friends.

She wondered whether she should say something, but suppose she did, and he confirmed her thoughts, what then? They couldn’t live under the same roof in sin, and even if they didn’t become lovers, Roz would still know that it was the wrong thing to do, as would the rest of society, something she could well do without. Living in Liverpool as someone of German origin was bad enough as it was without being judged for who she lived with.

Felix’s voice cut across her thoughts. ‘Penny for them?’

Roz placed her sandwich on her knee. ‘Do you think people will talk when they see that two young people of the opposite sex are living together?’

Felix shrugged nonchalantly, but Roz had seen his bottom jaw clench. ‘Who cares if they do?’

‘Me for one,’ said Roz truthfully, ‘not because I take heed of gossip, but I know the harm it can do, and I’ve had enough judgement because of my religion. I don’t want to set tongues wagging because we’ll be living together.’

‘We’re not doing anything wrong,’ said Felix, although Roz noticed he was quick to avert his gaze as he spoke. ‘It would be different if we were romantically involved.’

‘I know that, but they don’t, do they?’ she said, thinking that they would only have to see the way Felix looked at her to question the relationship.