The Lido Girls. Allie Burns

seriously,’ Delphi pressed on with the same request she’d made earlier that day. ‘A holiday would do us both the world of good and Jack has been working on Mother and Father to let me go. They’re much more likely to say yes if I’m with both of you.’

      Jack’s escape plan had come together. He had got a job, as the Lido Manager in a resort on the south coast. He’d been trying hard not to look too pleased with himself, but the whistling betrayed exactly how happy he was.

      ‘The British diving coach will be travelling the coast this summer,’ he’d explained. ‘He will watch all of the competitions and select his team for the Berlin games next year.’

      The escape plan applied to Delphi too. He had an idea she could teach keep-fit at the Lido; a more realistic option than training as an instructor with the League. Delphi had been weighed down by tiredness since their trip to Olympia, and this had made her more determined than ever to get out, keep busy and stay awake. What appeared to be standing in the way of this plan was Natalie.

      ‘It will be perfect. Dance halls and concerts and What the Butler Saw on the pier. And our own fitness classes too,’ Delphi pressed on.

      ‘I’ve told you, I don’t think I can.’

      ‘You’re not still holding out on that letter you wrote to the Board of Education, are you?’

      She forked in a mouthful of roast potato.

      ‘Oh, Natty dear. They don’t understand the meaning of clemency. To hell with them, I say.’

      ‘It’s easy for you to say when your parents are happy to feed and clothe you and