Ron had heard all about the Australian from Peggy, and rather shared her concerns that Rita might be falling too hard and too fast for the young man they knew so little about, but as Sarah was also on the horns of a romantic dilemma, he kept his thoughts to himself.

‘Aye, her father found it abandoned a couple of years before the war, and Rita helped him to restore it. It was a labour of love for both of them, so it was, and very much a part of her close relationship with her father, so of course it’s precious.’

He added the eggs to the boiling water and set the timer. ‘She was a bright wee girl even at that age,’ he said fondly, ‘and Jack taught her all he knew about machines, which has stood her in good stead.’

‘I wish I had a skill like that, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t know a piston from a pillion.’

Ron chuckled. ‘We all have our different talents, Sarah. It’s what makes life interesting.’ He glanced up at the clock and hurried to turn on the wireless so it would warm up in time for the early news.

They were already eating their eggs and toast when the announcer declared that the news that morning seemed positive. The 5th Army had broken through the German battle lines and was now engaged in fierce fighting right on the outskirts of Rome. The city was expected to fall within hours – which would secure the first major victory of the war in Europe.

Meanwhile, there had been fresh Allied landings on islands near New Guinea, and the Russians were preventing the Germans from strengthening their position in the Romanian hills. Nothing much had changed on the home front, but there was a stern warning that anyone caught breaking the travel restrictions would be heavily penalised.

Ron grunted as the news came to an end. ‘Still nothing about an invasion. What the divil are they waiting for?’

Sarah cleared away the dirty dishes and pulled on her coat. She glanced out of the window and gave a soft groan. ‘The sun’s gone, and there are some nasty black clouds rolling in. It looks as if we’re about to have more blessed rain.’ She reached for her umbrella, hat and scarf. ‘If this weather doesn’t improve there’ll never be an invasion.’

Ron silently agreed, for beachhead landings had a tragic history of failure, even when the weather was fair. After the debacle at Slapton, he doubted very much that Churchill and Eisenhower would risk more unnecessary deaths by sending them into the Channel during such rough conditions.