‘Come on, then.’ Laura led the way, weaving through the press of people, many in uniform, some carrying kit bags over their shoulders. Some were saying goodbye to families and loved ones. Others were waiting, maybe for a long-hoped-for reunion. Despite the ever-present threat of disruption to the trains, nobody appeared to be complaining. Kitty had been lucky; she’d come up from her small local station without a problem for once. It meant she had most of the day to spend with her old friend. Almost without realising it, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Confiding in Laura always made her feel better and she knew the feeling was mutual.

As they passed through the streets and headed towards the park, the crowds thinned out, but there was still a sense of bustle and activity. Kitty grinned, relishing being back in a big city. It was where she felt at home, jostling around people, being in the thick of it. Growing up on Merseyside had made her feel that this was normal, and it was where she was comfortable, despite knowing rationally that big cities were more dangerous, being targets for the enemy’s attacks. Yet she couldn’t shake off the sense that this was the sort of place where she belonged, not a quiet country town where everything went silent after dusk.

Green Park loomed ahead, with its avenues of old trees, and as they began to wander down one of its wide paths, Laura turned to face her. ‘All right, Kitty. I know you – you would usually rush straight to Lyons or somewhere like it. What’s up? What do you have to say that’s so secret you can’t tell me where anyone can overhear?’

Kitty laughed ruefully. She should have known there would be no fooling Laura, who might act the dizzy socialite when it suited her, but who underneath was as sharp as a tack. There was no point in beating about the bush.

‘Have you heard from Marjorie recently?’

‘Marjorie?’ Laura stopped to think. ‘I had a letter a few weeks ago; it had taken ages to get to me, and loads of it had been censored anyway. You wouldn’t think signals in Sussex could be that exciting. I was impressed.’

Kitty shrugged. ‘Well, let’s just say if she wrote down what she hinted at to me the other day, then you wouldn’t have had much of a letter at all. It would all have been blacked out.’

‘Now you have got me intrigued,’ Laura said. ‘Tell all, Callaghan. Out with it.’