Home Front Girls

and we’ll have a bottle of your finest champagne too, if you please.’
    ‘Certainly, sir.’
    Dotty’s eyes stretched even wider. Champagne? She had only ever tried a glass of wine at the staff party and she had suffered for it the next day.
    The meal was like nothing she had ever eaten before, and as one delicious course followed another she began to relax a little as she found that Robert was remarkably good company and very easy to talk to.
    ‘Do you live in London?’ she dared to ask over their hors d’oeuvre, which were mushrooms cooked in garlic sauce. Dotty was certain she had never tasted anything so delicious before in her whole life.
    ‘Yes, I have a flat in Knightsbridge,’ he told her. ‘It was my mother’s but I inherited both the flat and the magazine when she passed away last year. It’s a bit big for me really, but I suppose I’m too idle to look around for something a little smaller.’
    ‘Do you live alone then?’ Dotty asked in surprise before she could stop herself. She had imagined he would be married. He was far too nice not to be, and he had seemed so relaxed in Laura’s company that perhaps there was something between them?
    ‘Yes, I do,’ and then he grinned as if he could read her thoughts. ‘There aren’t many women who would want to take me on full-time with this.’ He jiggled his withered arm. ‘And besides, to be honest I’ve always been too busy to think of getting married.’ He peered at her. ‘But what about you? Do you have a boy friend?’
    ‘Oh no,’ Dotty told him quickly and when she fell silent and lowered her eyes, he looked at her curiously. She was very timid and obviously lacking in confidence, which was a shame as he found her quite charming. Sort of unspoiled, which he considered was a rare thing these days.
    The main course came then and once again Dotty loved it. Beef cooked in red wine sauce with a variety of vegetables and crispy roast potatoes. The waiter popped the cork on the champagne and Dotty giggled as she sipped at it and the bubbles went up her nose.
    Dessert was a pear flan with whipped cream and then they ended the meal with coffee. By then Dotty had drunk two glasses of champagne and her eyes were sparkling.
    ‘Thank you so much for a lovely day and a lovely meal,’ she sighed. She was so full that she was sure she wouldn’t be able to eat another thing for at least a month. The meal she had just had was certainly a far cry from the penny bowls of soup she usually had in the works canteen.
    ‘It was my pleasure,’ he assured her as he beckoned to the waiter for the bill. ‘And the next time you come to see us, we shall do it again.’
    ‘Next time?’ Dotty raised her eyebrows questioningly.
    ‘Oh yes, Laura and I will want to see you every three or four months at least, so that we can discuss what sort of stories we’d like you to write.’
    Dotty felt a tingle of excitement, although she noticed that he had mentioned Laura again. They left the restaurant and once outside he glanced at his watch before saying, ‘You have forty minutes before your train leaves. We’re only about ten minutes away from Euston: would you like to walk there or would you rather take a taxi?’
    ‘I think I’d rather walk,’ she answered. The champagne had made her feel quite tiddly and she thought the fresh air might do her good. ‘But if you point me in the right direction I’m sure I shall find the station by myself,’ she added. ‘I wouldn’t want to put you out.’
    ‘It won’t be putting me out. In fact, I’d rather like a bit of a stroll myself to walk some of that lunch off. Come on – put your arm through mine. I don’t want you falling on these slippery pavements.’
    She shyly slipped her arm through his, and as they were walking towards the station it started to snow.
    ‘I’ve been expecting this for days,’ he remarked. ‘I’m just glad it didn’t come in time to stop you getting here. I’ve really enjoyed today.’
    ‘So have I,’ she said, and she meant it.
    Once inside the station he guided her to the right platform. ‘The train should be in any time now,’ he told her. ‘Would you like me to wait with you?’
    ‘Not at all, I shall be fine. You’ve wasted quite enough of your time on me today as it is.’
    ‘I don’t consider I’ve wasted a single second,’ he told her sincerely. ‘And I hope this will be the start of a long working relationship. Goodbye, Dotty, I’ll be in touch soon.’
    He