‘Off you go, then.’ Rita shooed her out of the shop. She glanced at her watch. Not long and she could shut the place up and take herself over to her mother’s and pick up Ellen, giving her the excuse to check on her lovely new niece and nephew. She was deeply touched that Violet had called the little girl after her. It was the little things like that which made life worthwhile, she thought, struck by the contrast of Vera’s spite and the loving generosity she’d find over at her parents’ house. If you were brought up by the likes of Pop and Dolly, you learned how to take the rough with the smooth and to love and be loyal to your family and friends. If you were brought up by Vera, you ended up like Alfie. She said a silent prayer of gratitude that she had the parents she did.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Kitty did her best to keep her face neutral and her hands from shaking as she picked up her notepad from the training committee meeting which had just finished. She pretended to drop a pencil so that everyone else would leave before her. She couldn’t cope with seeing Frank after the surprise announcement.

Commander Stephens had come straight out with it without any warning or preamble. ‘Now that it looks as if we have Hitler on the run, it’s vitally important that all staff dealing with communications of every kind are on top of their game, and that we all operate according to the same procedures, whether we’re in Land’s End or John O’Groats. I need two members of staff to attend the briefing in person in London. Lieutenant Feeny, you’ll represent your men. We need someone from the Wrens – Miss Callaghan, I’m informed it had better be you. Kindly see to it that your colleagues are up to date with everything before you go, although I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that.’

‘Of course, sir,’ Kitty had said automatically, even as her mind reeled in shock. She was going to be with Frank for this special meeting. She’d probably have to travel with him. She wasn’t sure whether to be delighted or to dread it. Could it be that he’d asked for her especially? Maybe he’d engineered it somehow. Perhaps he knew just how she felt about him after all, particularly since Christmas …

As if in a daze, she shut the meeting room door behind her, to find that Moira Butcher was waiting for her.

‘Well, looks as if you’ve got yourself a cushy number,’ she said airily. ‘You’ll be able to live it up in the bright lights. You were down there before for a while, weren’t you?’