‘Hardly,’ Iris said. ‘It’s a Dr Barnardo’s home.’
Chas looked puzzled.
‘Have you never heard of them?’ Iris asked, and Chas shook his head.
‘It’s a home for orphans,’ Iris explained. ‘And we work jolly hard there. I’m a nurse and June is Matron’s assistant, even though she’s trained to be a nursery nurse.’
June envied the easy way Iris had of talking to a strange man, and an American at that. He sounded just like Rhett Butler.
‘Say, can I buy you girls a drink?’
‘Thank you – that would be lovely,’ Iris said quickly, throwing Chas a wide smile. ‘I’ll have a gin and tonic, please.’
June rather wished Iris hadn’t accepted a drink from the first person who’d set eyes on her. Deep down she hoped to see Murray Andrews. Thank him properly for getting her book at a reduction. Her eyes scanned the room but it was already so crowded it would be difficult to pick out anyone, especially someone she’d only briefly met.
She felt the American’s eyes on her, waiting to be told what she would like.
‘Nothing for me for the moment, thank you,’ she said.
‘You sure about that, ma’am?’ His smile was wide and didn’t leave her face.
‘Quite sure, thank you.’
‘I’ll get ours then, Iris,’ he said, and disappeared.
‘You were awfully quiet, Junie, but it’s quite obvious you’ve made a hit with him.’
‘I don’t want to make a hit with anyone,’ June said sincerely. ‘It’s nice just to be here and maybe have a dance or two. But that’s all. I want to concentrate on the children, not some man who thinks I’m only after a good time.’ She managed to stop her eyes sweeping the room.
‘You have to forgive them – the Americans, I mean. They’re all like that. Much more open and friendly than the English – so I’ve been told, anyway.’ Iris laughed. ‘I wouldn’t say no to a lovely American officer.’
‘You can have him with my complete approval,’ June said, smiling.
‘I would if I could. But you can see he’s only got eyes for you.’
‘You’re wrong, but even if it’s true, I’m not interested. All I want is to try out my dance steps which Aunt Ada taught me.’
The music changed at that moment to a quicker rhythm which June had never heard before. Chas came towards them, a glass in each hand. As he wove his way through the crowd, June realised he was head and shoulders taller than almost anyone else.
‘I’ve found the only table,’ he said, gesturing with a jerk of his shoulder. ‘Had to give the barman a quid, I think you call it, to reserve it for us. Now which one of you lovely ladies wants me to teach her the jitterbug?’
June’s annoyance grew. Thanks to Iris she wasn’t going to be able to get out of this. But then she heard a voice behind her.
‘Good evening, Miss Lavender.’
June turned and found herself looking up into a pair of sky-blue twinkling eyes. Flight Lieutenant Andrews in full uniform. She’d only ever seen him in his greatcoat. Her breath caught. He wasn’t nearly so handsome as Chas but there was something about the way his tawny hair fell forward over darker eyebrows, his smiling mouth, the cleft in his chin … She grew hot under his gaze, feeling more uncomfortable as she sensed Iris watching her with open curiosity.
‘Flight Lieutenant Andrews – how nice to see you again.’ June fought to keep her voice steady as she held out her hand. He took it in both of his. The warmth of his skin … she felt a tremor … was it from his hand, or her own?
‘Say, you already know Andrews?’ Chas glanced at Murray and lingered on June.
‘Oh, yes,’ Murray put in quickly before June could think what to say. ‘We’ve travelled together on the same train from London, we’ve chatted in a bookshop in Liverpool about Monica Dickens, we nearly had a cup of tea together’ – he turned to June and winked – ‘but unfortunately she had to rush away.’
‘I’d hardly call it travelling together when I just asked to get by in the corridor,’ June protested, which made Murray’s smile even wider.
‘Seeing as Junie’s not going to introduce us, I’m Iris.’ Iris stuck her hand out and Murray immediately shook hands with her.
‘What will you have to drink?’ Chas addressed Murray.
‘Let me get them,’ Murray said. He turned to June and Iris. ‘What would you like?’
‘I’ve got mine,’ Iris said, holding up her glass.
‘Miss Lavender?’ The blue eyes turned to her.
‘Just a lemonade for me, please,’ June said quickly, unaccountably pleased that it would be Murray buying her a drink and not Chas.
‘No dice, Andrews. I asked y’all first. Sit down at the table or I’ve wasted a quid. I’ll get you a beer and a lemonade for June.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Iris said, giving June a huge wink which she pretended to ignore.
‘Have you just arrived?’ Murray asked when Chas and Iris disappeared.
June nodded. ‘I wondered if you might be here.’
Oh, why did she say that? Her mother would have told her off for sounding too forward. She only hoped the dim light disguised her tingling cheeks.
‘Did you? Did you really?’ Murray’s expression was eager.
‘Yes. I wanted to apologise.’
‘Whatever for?’
‘For rushing away, as you just told them.’
‘Well, you did, didn’t you?’
‘I was supposed to meet Iris at half-past eleven for coffee and was already late. That was all.’
‘I thought you might have had an appointment with a boyfriend.’
‘Flight Lieutenant Andrews, I haven’t got time for that sort of thing. I’m working six days a week and long hours.’
‘Murray, please.’ Murray gave a theatrical sigh. ‘So that’s me out, is it?’
‘Afraid so.’ The retort was out before she could stop it. She wanted to retract it. Tell him she hadn’t meant to sound so abrupt. She’d been like it in the bookshop as well and it wasn’t in her nature to be rude. A stream of smoke wafted towards them and she felt it thick in her throat. She swallowed, trying to stop herself coughing.
The conversation was going nowhere, she thought, but she hadn’t reckoned with Murray.
‘Miss Lavender – June, if I may – I’m really happy you came tonight. Tell me – how are you getting on with One Pair of Hands? You know I really want to borrow it after you.’
‘I’m surprised you remember it.’
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