Summary

Part Two: Attrition

September, 1940 – Mary and Hilda drive over to see the damage at the docks. The area is devastated. Hilda asks Mary if she and Alistair kissed because of the way Mary looked at Alistair. Mary says she did not kiss him. Mary tells Hilda she is impossibly spoiled, which horrifies Hilda. Mary immediately apologizes. She calls Mary selfish. Hilda says she knows they kissed. Then, she leaves to find her own way home.

December, 1940 – On the night of the first bombing, Tom volunteers for the Royal Air Force. Now a few months later, Tom learns by official mail that his testing has been satisfactory, but his acceptance has been rejected by the War Office since the War Office considers his current function vital to the war effort. Tom is heartbroken. He goes for a couple of drinks, then he heads to the...