Unbeknownst to the Captain, he could 'get away' with such a gesture any time he liked. As distant and frigid a creature she could be, Peggy had been provided with a whole year to re-romanticize the sparing brief touches of a relationship that had never truly started. It had never been given the chance: shot down inchoate.

Although she doesn't tremble in her extremities, there is a minor palsy deep in her chest. An agonizing flutter -- chained down by guilt, and the thinnest threads of doubt. What if (contrary to all she sees) none of this is real? What if she's dreaming? Well! In that case, she'd better take what she can. Her fingers tuck between his. Possession and love and intimacy are miles away from her mind. All she craves now is the small pieces of affection absent until this moment. Holding his hand seals no deal and signs no contract -- but it allows them to express at least a sliver of their due regard for one another.

"--I can show you the way," she offered. Her voice was stiffer than the rest of her demeanour. Peggy still hasn't worked out how to present herself within his sight. She can't be the liaison officer any longer -- but she can't be the abandoned lover, either.