Nancy drew the collar of her best coat up around her neck, shivering with her own excitement. Gary had booked them into the select hotel they’d been to once before. It was so much more risky now the days were longer and people would be around who might know them – but she didn’t care. He’d be off on active service from tomorrow. He couldn’t tell her where he was going; she wasn’t sure if he knew himself. So it would be a night to savour. She was now all but certain he was going to ask her to come away with him after the war was over, which everyone said would be soon. She knew there were a few legal obstacles in the way, but she was sure they could find a way around them. Gary was so clever, so caring and protective. He’d make sure a little thing like a hasty marriage undertaken when she wasn’t old enough to know any better didn’t get in the way of their lasting happiness together. She just had to trust him.

Singing to herself, she hopped on to the bus, ignoring all the looks coming her way, knowing that her joy was radiating off her like heat from the sun.

Kitty had kept her eyes facing the front windscreen as they were driven across town and shown to the large office where she was to repeat her report from earlier in the morning. There was no need for small talk with Frank as Captain Harris, apparently unaware that she’d ever been to the capital before, kept up a running commentary. It mainly consisted of pointing out bomb sites, something she could have done without.

They were met by a polite but brisk senior Wren, who swiftly ushered them upstairs to an echoing corridor, leading to a meeting room with rows of chairs which had the air of having been hastily put together. Kitty suspected they’d had about as much notice of this as she and Frank had. Still, she delivered her report, and Frank added a few points from his side of things, which seemed to go down well. Within less than an hour they were back on the street again.

Frank looked at Kitty. ‘That was rather a whirlwind, wasn’t it?’ he said, rubbing his forehead as he did so. ‘I hope we were able to tell them what they needed.’