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Valentina hurried towards him, eyes shining. ‘Peter,’ she said.

‘Hello you,’ he said with a grin. ‘Although I almost don’t recognise you. Why did you cut your hair short?’

‘I didn’t want to. My parents insisted.’

‘Well, it’s pretty.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘Are you lying?’

‘No, you’re always pretty and always will be.’

She beamed at that. ‘Thank you.’

‘But you looked lonely sitting there,’ he added, lifting his chin towards the steps.

‘I’m never really lonely with a book.’ She held up hers. ‘Besides, now you’re here. I’ve missed you,’ she admitted, immediately looking embarrassed.

He noticed her blush but didn’t comment. ‘Oh, I’ve been surprisingly busy in my new role.’

‘Underground?’

‘Yes. They’re keeping me occupied, which is excellent. Far better than lying around in hospital or feeling helpless back at base.’

‘What do you do down there?’

‘I’m not allowed to say,’ he said in a cheerful voice. She pouted a little. ‘Not even to me?’

‘You could be a spy,’ he said, feigning a suspicious tone and eyeing her.

She laughed. ‘I’m no spy,’ she said firmly. ‘But I understand.’

‘How are your parents?’ he asked.

‘Annoying.’

It was his turn to laugh. ‘All parents are annoying.’

‘Are yours?’

‘They’re dead.’

‘Oh. Sorry.’ She looked embarrassed.

‘Don’t be. They’ve been gone a while.’

‘But were they annoying?’

‘Yes. At times. I didn’t actually know them all that well.’ That was the first time he’d admitted such a thing to anyone, but there was something about Valentina that allowed him to be honest. Maybe it was the age gap or, perhaps, here with her, he was so far away from his former life that it didn’t matter.

She looked at him quizzically. ‘What do you mean, you didn’t know them?’ She made the idea sound ridiculous.

‘Well,’ he said, sighing, ‘unlike you, I didn’t have brothers or lots of cousins. I was an only child.’

‘But wouldn’t you have spent more time with them in that case? Weren’t you spoiled?’

‘I grew up in Bath, a beautiful part of England, but I was sent off to boarding school at seven.’

‘Boarding school… you mean you were sent away?’