‘Any brothers or sisters?’

‘Yes, six of them …’

He seemed quite happy to talk about them, so she let him go on until they reached Nan’s house. Just as they got there the church clock struck midnight and then all the bells in the city began to peal.

He turned to her. ‘Happy New Year, May.’

‘And the same to you.’

They looked at each other in silence for a moment, and May felt a sensation she had never experienced before, a quiver of the nerves that was both excitement and fear. She wondered if he was going to kiss her, and if so what she should do. Then he bent his head and kissed her very lightly on the cheek.

‘Goodnight.’

‘Goodnight, Paul. Thanks for walking me home.’

‘It’s no trouble. See you tomorrow.’ He touched his hat and turned away.

It was a struggle to wake up next morning and she was late for work; but it did not matter because Nan was later still, and seemed out of sorts. Usually easy-going, she was irritable and complained of a headache; but later in the day she seemed better and apologised for snapping at May.

‘Celebrated the New Year a bit too thoroughly. I ought to know better, at my age. Now, what did you do?’

May told her, guessing that she was in no position to tell her off for going to a pub.

‘I hope you didn’t have to walk home on your own. The streets are not safe for a girl on her own at that time of night.’

‘No. One of the boys, a lad called Paul, walked me home.’

‘That’s good.’

In the dinner hour she found Dora and the others in the canteen, looking very crestfallen. Mrs Stevens, it turned out, was not as gullible as they had thought. She had called round at Jenny’s home, on the pretext of seeing the girls home, and discovered that the family party was a fabrication. The girls had been hauled over the coals and threatened with dismissal; but to May’s relief it seemed that her name had not been mentioned.

When the men came in for their dinner she looked for Paul. He came in with a group of others, and when she caught his eyes he smiled and nodded; but he did not come over to speak to her. The dinner hour was the only time in the day when there was any chance for the men and the girls to mix and there were some who always sat together, but although she looked out for him every day, Paul made no attempt to join her. After a week of so she heard in a chance conversation that he was engaged to a girl who lived on the other side of the water.