Captain Peter Cavendish was Laura’s boyfriend, and very well connected, with an uncle who was an admiral and who had attended meetings of naval top brass ever since they’d known him. At first Laura had called him Captain Killjoy, as their working relationship had begun with hostility on her part and near-silence from his; he’d also shown an uncanny knack of knowing when Laura had planned a night out, always calling her to drive him just when she was getting ready. That had lasted until they’d both been involved in rescuing a baby from a burning building after a bomb had gone off in a north London street. Peter had nearly died, and after that it had become obvious that the two of them were meant for each other.

‘Not as such,’ Laura admitted. ‘You know he’s careful never to breathe a word of what goes on at those interminable conferences of his. But I can tell something’s changed. I mean, it makes sense. Look at all the Allied success of the past year – North Africa, Italy. You’d have to say it would be no surprise if they were thinking of going into France now. Wouldn’t you, if you were in charge?’

Kitty took a step back. ‘I … I don’t know. Seeing as I’m never going to be in charge of something like that, I don’t think about it. I just get on with what I’m asked to do.’

‘Oh, so do I,’ Laura said hastily. ‘I’m just guessing. But it would be the obvious thing to do.’

Kitty glanced at her friend. Of course she would hear conversations like this all the time, even if they weren’t full of detail. But Laura was used to being around discussions at that sort of level. Kitty wasn’t, and she didn’t feel qualified to offer an opinion. Also, even after having been friends for so long, Laura sometimes still had that effect on her: making her feel inadequate, that she was on the outside looking in, while the likes of Laura forged ahead, effortlessly taking charge, knowing they were born to make the key decisions. Then she gave herself a mental shake. Laura didn’t do it deliberately. It was just Kitty’s own habit to feel under-confident in the face of such assurance. But Kitty herself had changed since the early days of training – she had to remember that.