Gary held her hand even more tightly. ‘Nancy, I gotta tell you. We’re being moved out tomorrow.’

‘Oh!’ Nancy couldn’t stop herself from gasping. ‘Where? Or shouldn’t you say?’

He made a rueful face. ‘More like I can’t. I don’t know my whereabouts in England so the names don’t mean much. But it’s down south somewhere. There, I’ve told you far more than I ought to.’

Nancy stared down at the polished table top as the reality hit her: this might be her last evening with Gary; this lovely, strong, caring man who made her feel cherished and protected in a way nobody else had ever done. How bitterly unfair, when she’d really only just met him and was still getting to know him. ‘Oh, Gary,’ she breathed. ‘You’ll take care of yourself, won’t you?’

‘Of course I will,’ he replied, stroking her fingers. ‘Now I know you’ll be thinking of me, I’m gonna make extra sure I get back safe and sound. You will be thinking of me, won’t you, Nancy?’

‘Of course I will!’ Suddenly she thought she was going to cry. She mustn’t. Gary would be putting his life on the line. She just knew he was brave in the face of danger. She couldn’t let him leave with the sight of her in tears. She would shed them in private once he’d gone.

‘I’ll be thinking of you,’ he said, his voice completely serious. ‘I’ll see your pretty face before me and it’ll give me a reason to keep fighting and get back in one piece. You’ll be my comfort and my inspiration, Nancy.’

Nancy gulped. Nobody had ever said anything wonderful like that to her before. She struggled to keep the tears from her eyes and the tremble from her voice. ‘Am I, Gary? Am I really?’

‘Would I lie to you, Nancy? Over something as important as that? On my life, it’s the truth.’ He held her gaze. ‘You’re a very special lady, and I thank my lucky stars that I met you. The thought of you will give me hope in whatever’s to come.’

Nancy could not take her eyes from his face, the eyes full of solemn meaning, his strong but soft mouth, the little creases around his eyes and frown lines on his forehead that showed he was no inexperienced boy but a man who had seen real life. ‘I’m glad I met you too,’ she breathed. ‘What a funny thing, wasn’t it, fate bringing us together like that? Just imagine, if either of us hadn’t gone out that evening, we’d never have met each other.’

He squeezed her hand again. ‘I can’t imagine it, Nancy. Can’t imagine not knowing you. Even though it’s only been a few weeks, they’ve been the most important weeks of my life.’