‘’Tain’t no use you knockin’, luvvie,’ she told her. ‘Ain’t seen ’im fer the last few days.’

‘Oh, I see … thank you,’ Ivy stuttered as colour flooded into her cheeks, and turning about she made a hasty exit down the stairs. So where could he be? she asked herself as she stepped across a large pile of dog faeces. Perhaps he was away working on a story and hadn’t had the chance to get word to her? It was the only thing she could think of and knowing there was no more she could do she made her way home, swallowing back tears.

At that moment, could Ivy have known it, Jeremy Pilkington-Hughes was reclining on a velvet chaise longue feeding grapes into the mouth of his latest lover.

‘So do you think you could see your way clear to lending me a few shillings, Lavinia darling?’ he purred encouragingly.

She turned towards him and the heavy perfume she was wearing was so overpowering that it made his eyes water.

‘Now, Jeremy, don’t be so naughty,’ she scolded with a girlish giggle. ‘I only gave you some pocket money two days ago. Whatever have you spent it on?’

He tried to keep the revulsion he felt at the sight of her heaving breasts from showing on his face as he ran a finger tenderly down her plump cheek. ‘I had a few bills that were outstanding.’

‘Oh, well perhaps if you were to be ever so nice to me I might manage to give you a little bit more,’ she said suggestively.

He knew exactly what she meant and his hand instantly strayed to her breast which was constrained by heavy corsets. ‘That would be my pleasure entirely,’ he answered with a sickly smile as he grappled with the buttons on her dress, although his stomach revolted at the thought of what she wanted. This wasn’t going at all as he had hoped it would, he thought to himself. Oh, Lavinia was generous with gifts admittedly but nowhere near generous enough with her cash. At this rate he would have to ask Ivy for another loan, not that she’d ever see a penny of it back. He turned his attention to the task at hand then, eager to get it over with as Lavinia lay back ready to enjoy him.

The next day found Holly working on the women’s geriatric ward, never her favourite place to work. She had already checked on the new influx of Red Cross nurses and reported back to the matron and now the ward sister told her, ‘Best sit with old Mrs Green, Nurse Farthing. She was admitted last night, poor old thing. The neighbours hadn’t seen her about for some time so they broke into her room and found her in a rare old state. Goodness knows how long it had been since she’d eaten anything. The doctor will be round to check on her presently but I doubt there will be much he can do for her. Still, at least we can make sure her final days or hours are as comfortable as we can make them. According to the neighbours she has no family to call on.’