Mabel yawned the words ‘Nos da’ back to Heulwyn who made her way back down the stairs.

Calling ‘goodnight’ after her hostess, Roz knelt down next to the low, deep-set window and looked across the yard to the fields beyond. Turning to Mabel she sighed happily. ‘We’ve really landed on our feet here.’

Mabel nodded as she pulled her vest over her head. ‘I wish Gethin was staying, but I suppose if he was there wouldn’t be any need for us.’

Roz grinned at her friend. ‘He certainly is handsome, and I gathered by the soppy look on your face that you are rather keen on him.’

Mabel put on a dressing gown and pulled the cord into a bow, before tucking her towel under her arm. ‘Can you blame me?’

‘Not really, especially when I know how much you want to marry a farmer,’ said Roz, ‘and if I’m any judge I’d say he was keen on you too.’

Mabel opened the door to their room and the girls could see the steam coming from the roll-top bath in the room opposite. ‘Do you really think so?’ Mabel’s eyelids, which had been drooping sleepily, were now wide open.

‘I do. It’s the same way Felix looks at me,’ said Roz. ‘Talking of Felix, I wonder how he’s getting on.’

‘I don’t know much about Australia,’ Mabel admitted, ‘but I do know it’s hotter there than it is here, so at least he’ll be getting plenty of sunshine.’

Having heard no more about HMT Dunera, the girls had assumed that it must have arrived safely in Australia. Roz knew that Felix would write to Alan and Bill, but she realised that it would take months for any mail to come through. In her heart she knew that it was highly likely she would never see him again, but in her experience fate had a funny way of working things out, so she refused to give up hope – after all, she hadn’t given up hope of finding her parents.

Over the next two weeks Gethin taught the girls everything there was to know about stock farming, something which pleased Mabel no end, especially when it came to milking. Roz picked it up straight away with little tuition, but Mabel struggled and it took many attempts, with Gethin placing his arms around her whilst he demonstrated the best method of getting the milk without upsetting the cow, before she finally succeeded. In fact, Roz suspected her friend had got the knack much sooner than she apparently did, just so that she could be close to Gethin.