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William feared they might never see him again. Ross’s life was always black or white, he didn’t deal in shades of grey.

When Ross had slammed the door behind him, the Commander said, ‘William, perhaps you’d better have a word with Alice, as I suspect she’s the one person who might drum some common sense into the man.’

•••

When Ross arrived home, Alice was waiting for him, having already had a call from William. There were no newspapers to be seen, the television had been turned off, and the phone taken off its hook. She cooked him his favourite meal, Irish stew. He ate in silence and didn’t raise the subject.

Alice lay awake all through the night, and when he finally told her what he had planned, all she said was, ‘Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.’ He fell asleep.

The following morning, Ross wrote a resignation letter to the Commander. The narrative didn’t flow easily, but after a third attempt, he somehow put some words together. He opened the top drawer of Alice’s desk but couldn’t find a stamp. How unlike Alice to run out of stamps.

He left the envelope on the hall stand before joining Alice and Jojo for breakfast. Jojo was telling her father about a boy who wouldn’t stop pulling her pigtails, but he wasn’t listening.

‘Time to clean your teeth,’ said Alice, as she began to clear up.

Jojo left the table, and when she came back downstairs, she took the letter off the hall stand, slipped it into her satchel, ran out of the front door and didn’t stop running until she reached a litter bin.

It didn’t take a trained detective for Ross to work out what his daughter had been up to, because when she returned to the house, Jojo avoided him and quickly disappeared upstairs.

Ross returned to his study and made a fourth attempt to write the letter, but it wasn’t any easier. He sealed the envelope, and this time left it on his desk. In the afternoon, he walked to the local post office and bought a second-class stamp.

In the evening, Alice and Jojo took him out for supper at his favourite Italian restaurant, when he was told in great detail about the boy who kept pulling her pigtails. He grinnedat his daughter and realized just how lucky he was and didn’t bother to tell her the little boy was in love with her.

Alice woke in the middle of the night to find Ross in tears. She held him in her arms and was taken by surprise when he finally spoke.

‘I sometimes forget,’ said Ross, ‘how lucky I am to have such a remarkable woman in my life.’

‘Two remarkable women,’ Alice reminded him.

Ross laughed for the first time in days.

He sat up, turned on the light and said, ‘I should have done this a long time ago.’

‘Turn off the light you silly man! It’s three in the morning,’ said Alice, covering her eyes.

‘Shush, woman – I’m finding it hard enough to ask you to marry me.’

‘So romantic!’ said Alice, as she took him back in her arms.

‘What’s your answer?’

‘Where’s the ring?’

‘I’ll get it in the morning.’

‘So romantic,’ repeated Alice, grinning.

Ross got out of bed, fell on one knee and said, ‘Alice, I adore you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please say you’ll be my wife.’

‘On one condition,’ Alice replied.

•••

The following morning, Ross went back to his study before Alice awoke. He picked up the letter on his desk and tore it into little pieces.

He didn’t attempt to write a fifth one.

•••