‘I’m afraid so,’ she said, with a grimace.
‘Don’t be afraid about it,’ he said. ‘You made my night.’
And, with a chuckle, he walked on, trailing the flight engineer, gunners, and Jacob, who, casting Iris a weary smile, waved Robbie and Tim onwards.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I want to make sure they know that yard’s no more. I don’t really fancy getting sent back there again tonight.’ He glanced up at the moon. ‘I don’t fancy getting sent anywhere. Maybe you could get your uncle on the blower, Tim. Remind him that it’s not actually much fun flying in a plane with a torch shining on you.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Tim. ‘I intend to.’ Then, with a salute to Iris, and a last look from her, to Robbie, he went.
Robbie remained where he was.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked Iris.
‘Am I all right?’ She shook her head. ‘Areyou?’
‘I’m fine.’ He stood very still, seemingly fighting the urge to move closer to her. ‘We were attacked, but they didn’t get us. We couldn’t leave the other plane, though, in case they had to bail out, or were attacked again.’ His face, all in shadow, moved in a frown. ‘It’s been a long night.’
‘It has,’ she agreed. ‘When was the last time you slept?’
‘I don’t know … ’
‘You should sleep. You need to sleep.’
‘I’m sure you do, too.’
‘Yes.’ She didn’t want to sleep, though.
Nor did he.
‘Will you meet me back at the cottage?’ he said. ‘After interrogation.’
‘Yes,’ she said, without consideration.
‘Good.’ He smiled. ‘Straight there?’
‘Straight there,’ she agreed.
‘All right,’ he said, ‘See you then.’ He set off to join the others, but walked backwards, still looking at her. ‘Who knows,’ his smile grew, becoming a grin, ‘maybe we’ll do something stupid.’
But they didn’t do something stupid.
What happened between them, a little under a half hour later – after he’d given his report to intelligence, and she’d been dismissed by Browning – felt, to Iris, the least stupid thing possible.
She’d done plenty of thinking over the course of the night she’d just spent, waiting for him to come home. In her fearthat he mightn’t, it had struck her just how easily this gift that the two of them had been given of finding one another again, might be snatched away, in this world run amok, where minutes might bend, and seconds might stretch, but they nonetheless always passed.
I don’t want us to waste any time,Robbie had said to her yesterday.
I don’t want to waste it either,she’d told him.
She’d meant it.
She’d been determined about it.
But she was even more determined now.
So was he.
He was already waiting for her when she reached the cottage, standing at the gate, still in his flight gear.
