Sarah grinned. ‘She almost ran me over – going too fast as usual – but it was a relief to see her, even though it was a bit hairy riding pillion.’

‘You were lucky you weren’t both killed,’ said Cordelia with a shudder.

‘I put in a full complaint with the commanding officer up at Cliffe,’ rumbled Ron, ‘and he assures me the driver of that transport truck will be severely punished, and that Rita’s bike will be restored as soon as possible.’

He slowly got to his feet and came round the table to kiss Sarah on the cheek. ‘It’s good to have you both home again. Now Harvey and I are off to our beds. It’s been a long, exhausting day.’

It wasn’t long before Sarah was in her own bed, and as she lay there in the darkness listening to Fran snuffling in her sleep, she snuggled down beneath the blankets, closed her eyes and relived those precious few hours she’d spent with Delaney.

She’d thought she was in love with Philip when he’d asked her to marry him, but what she felt for Delaney was far deeper and stronger – an irresistible force against which she had no defence.

Her smile was soft as she thought of the kisses and caresses they’d shared, but her troubled conscience refused to let her sleep despite her exhaustion. How could something so very wrong feel so utterly and wonderfully right?

8

Burma

The moonlight was glowing on the turbulent water as two heavily armed platoons of Gurkhas and Riflemen climbed into the assault boats and motored out into the middle of the great Chindwin River towing other boats behind them. Jim and the men on shore were alert for any sight of the enemy; the machine gunners’ thumbs on the double-tap button, the mortar-men poised with ammo in hand, the launchers’ sights set on the jungle-clad cliff on the other side.

The tension was broken by the roar of three Mustangs flashing up from the south at low altitude to heavily bomb the line of Japanese telegraph poles on the far side of the river and give support should the men on the ground come under attack.

Jim and Ernie stood armed and ready next to Big Bert to watch as great fountains of earth exploded beneath the fighters, and then gasped in awe as the pilots turned up-river and came in even lower, dipping a wing almost to ground level to rip out the wires still attached to the telegraph poles. Jim found he’d been holding his breath and let it out in a great gasp as the brave and utterly fearless American pilots flew away to circle lazily high above them on guard duty.