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Why do you say that?’
    â€˜I’ve been troubled by such strange dreams. Every night, when I close my eyes, I find myself in Whitby. A place I’ve never been. In the dream, I walk through the streets. It has become a ghost town.’ He stared at the coffee cup, as he remembered what must have been disturbing nightmares.
    â€˜Alec, listen to me. In wars, strange things happen. We’ve all heard tales of soldiers who are shot, but a Bible in their breast pocket stops the bullet. That’s the mythology of battle. You hear stories like that all the time. Shells hit a trench, killing every soldier bar one – he escapes without a scratch. Something like that happened to you. Maybe some individuals are spared for a higher purpose. Maybe not. But it does no harm to believe we’ve been given a second chance, so we can make the most of life. Turn over a new leaf. Be a better person.’
    â€˜A better person? Last night I was tortured by the same old nightmare. My eye stung like fury. Worse, I wallowed in self-pity. My friends were dead. Better people than me gone. So, this morning, I swallowed a heck of a lot of gin before I could bring myself to stand in front of those actors and actresses.’
    â€˜After what you’ve been through, it’s understandable.’
    He gave a grim smile. ‘If I had been saved from the explosion in order to perform mighty deeds, all I did this morning was prove to you, and everyone else, that I’m weak as water. A flimsy, paper cut-out of a man. A coward who needs booze before he can bring himself to speak to his fellow man and woman.’
    â€˜Now you are sounding sorry for yourself.’
    â€˜True. And I promise to do better. I want to make this film work; it has a mission to inform other countries about the hell this nation is enduring in order to oppose the Nazi barbarians.’ He leaned forward, hands clasped together on the table. ‘Now to business, Miss Layne.’
    â€˜Beth.’
    â€˜Thank you, Beth. I want you to replace my girlfriend.’
    â€˜
You want what!
’
    â€˜Sorry. Bad choice of words. The gin’s made me fuzzy around the gills.’ Alec took another swallow of coffee. ‘Lorna was the location manager. It’s hard to find replacements. Most people who could do this kind of work are now either in the military or munitions factories.’
    â€˜I couldn’t. I’m an actress.’
    â€˜Oh, too good for that kind of work, are we?’
    â€˜I meant I’m not qualified.’
    â€˜You have a good head on your shoulders. That’s the only qualification you need.’
    â€˜I wouldn’t know where to begin.’
    â€˜My director is dead. I’m the writer; I’m having to step into his shoes.’ He pulled a file across the table. ‘Here is your résumé. When you had the opportunity to return to America, before it became unsafe to make the Atlantic crossing, you decided to stay here to perform in hospital shows for our wounded troops. You participated in ENSA concerts in France before the British were forced to retreat. It demonstrates you are prepared to do what you can to help the war effort and thwart mad Herr Hitler and his villainous regime. As you Yanks say “you are not a quitter”.’ He studied a sheet of paper. ‘You have a great list of screen credits, too, so you understand the mechanics of film-making. Therefore, I am not firing you, Beth Layne. You will act in my film. What’s more, I need you to go up to Whitby to scout out locations. We start shooting in twelve days.’
    â€˜Alright. But I insist on my friend, Sally Wainwright, coming with me.’
    â€˜By all means.’
    â€˜And she gets paid, too.’
    â€˜You’ll both share the same wage as Lorna would have received for scouting locations. Later, you’ll both be paid acting fees as set out in the contracts. Those fees begin the first day of