Tears pricked and slowly ran unheeded down her face as her heart broke. ‘Oh, dear God,’ she breathed. ‘What did they do to him?’

The nurse squeezed her shoulder. ‘You’ve been here long enough to know what these men went through, Miss Fuller,’ she said quietly. ‘If he wakes, try not to let him see you cry. He’ll find it very upsetting.’

The girl left and Sarah dried her tears before she tentatively reached for the bony hand that was resting on the sheet. It felt cold and inanimate and rather unpleasant. She flinched, but then reminded herself that this man – this stranger – was Philip whom she’d loved and had vowed to marry, and she was disgusted with herself for reacting that way. As she looked down at him, she knew she ought to be able to dredge up something of how she’d once felt for him, but there was only heart-rending pity.

She gazed at his lifeless hand and the glint of the diamond engagement ring on her finger and felt quite ill at the thought of all he must have been through. But against the odds he’d survived, and now she had to find the strength to help him fight his way back to recovery. She couldn’t let him die – not now.

She leaned closer. ‘Philip. It’s me, Sarah. Remember me? We got engaged in Malaya and you gave me your mother’s ring.’

His eyelids flickered but he made no other response, so she tried again. ‘Philip, you must wake up, darling,’ she murmured. ‘This is Sarah. Sarah Fuller.’

His fingers twitched and he rolled his head on the pillow, his eyes opening as if with great difficulty. ‘Sarah?’ he sighed with a frown. ‘Who’s Sarah?’

A stab of shock pierced her. ‘Sarah’s Jock’s daughter,’ she said. ‘You must remember Jock Fuller. He managed your family plantation.’

‘Jock,’ he muttered. His eyes flew open and he grabbed her hand so tightly it crushed the bones as he stared at her with haunted eyes seeing something other than her face. ‘Typhoid,’ he breathed. ‘Sick, dying, another sleeper. Hold on, Jock. You’ve got to hold on. God help us,’ he babbled.

And then he began to throw his head from side to side in agitation, his hands fluttering in distress. ‘Stop them. Stop them. Please, please don’t …’

The nurse came hurrying over and unceremoniously pushed Sarah out of the way to give Philip an injection. ‘I know it’s frightening, but it takes them like this at times,’ she said, emptying the syringe into the wasted flesh of his thigh.

Sarah watched through her tears as the gaunt face relaxed and the medication took effect.

‘He’ll sleep now for several hours,’ the girl said. ‘You might as well go and get some rest. You can come back at any time.’

Sarah shook her head and reached for Philip’s hand again. ‘I’ll stay if that’s all right.’

‘Matron did warn you that he could easily slip away at any moment, didn’t she?’