As they ate the first proper meal in what seemed like an age, the Davieses quizzed Mabel and Roz about the life they had left behind in Liverpool. Roz told them all about her journey from Frankfurt, something which they were particularly interested in, as it gave them an insight into life in Europe before the war. In turn they told the girls about life at Glasfryn farm and what would be expected of them.

‘We have cattle which we keep in the lower pastures, and sheep which graze on the mountain behind us during the summer months, but in winter we bring them down to the farm,’ explained Howell. ‘We grow our own hay, which we keep in the Dutch barn, and the pigs and chickens are behind the stables.’

‘What do you use Zeus for?’ asked Mabel, hoping against hope that they were going to say the girls needed to ride him.

‘Ploughing, moving anything heavy like the hay cart, picking up feed from the village, that kind of thing,’ said Gethin.

‘If you’ve always lived here, then why do you need land girls?’ said Roz, who was failing to see where she and Mabel came into the equation.

Beaming with pride, Howell indicated his son with the stem of his pipe. ‘This one’s off to train as air crew in the RAF; he should be getting his papers through within the next couple of weeks.’

Mabel’s heart sank. In one sentence, Howell had destroyed her dream of marrying Gethin and moving to a farm similar to Glasfryn, where they would keep horses and dogs and have babies galore. She glanced at Roz, who had guessed exactly why her friend was looking crestfallen.

‘That makes sense,’ said Roz.

Mabel smiled fleetingly at Gethin. ‘At least you’ll have time to show us what’s what before you go.’

‘You’ll soon get into the swing of things,’ Gethin assured her. ‘It’s pretty simple really, the milking being the only tricky part, but once you’ve got the knack you’ll be away.’

When the meal was over, Roz joined Heulwyn at the sink. ‘I can see why you need help, but we’re rather green when it comes to farming. The college was alright, but they really only taught us the basics; we didn’t do anything hands on with any animals.’

Howell waved a dismissive hand. ‘I don’t know why they bother. Farming’s a practical skill, not something you can learn from a book!’

‘Dad’s right,’ said Gethin ‘and as you’ve a heap to learn, why not start now with a look around the farm?’

‘When you’ve seen where everything is, you can come inside and have a nice hot bath before turning in,’ said Heulwyn.

Thanking their host for the wonderful meal, the girls followed Gethin outside, and were surprised to find that the nights were a lot colder here than they were in Liverpool.