Ada’s thoughts were all over the place. Jamie was being moved from Europe to Africa. The thought of his being on another continent – even further away from her – gripped Ada with fear. Feeling her tremble, Jamie quickly added, ‘Ada, dearest, I’ll be doing the same job that I do now, attending the wounded; it’s no different nor is it any more dangerous.’

Unable to stop herself from reacting like a frightened child, Ada burst into tears.

‘Darling, please don’t cry,’ he begged. ‘Please don’t upset yourself.’

But Ada just couldn’t stop crying. She had been strong and positive for so long, but this sudden news of Jamie’s new posting tipped her right over the edge. She didn’t want him to go anywhere, she thought wildly – she didn’t want him to leave her at all. As her tears subsided and her reasoning returned, Ada let Jamie rock her in his arms.

‘When?’ she finally asked.

‘No date yet,’ he replied.

Ada sighed. Of course not, she thought bitterly. The Army drops a bombshell then keeps you waiting, dangling, holding your breath, until the order gets the official stamp and men are on the move, travelling on trains and ships to new battlefields. Smiling tenderly, Jamie rose to his feet and held out his hands to her.

‘Come on, love,’ he urged. ‘Let’s not sit here moping; there won’t be many more days like this before I have to go back.’

Seeing the sad pleading in his lovely golden-hazel eyes, Ada struggled to her feet.

‘Yes, let’s walk,’ she said, then thought to herself, ‘Let’s make the most of our time together and be happy while we can.’

Eager as she was, Ada didn’t get very far. Seeing the highest peaks of Catbells looming overhead, she soon groaned and flopped down into a bed of heather, where she was quickly joined by Jamie. Lying on their backs until they had caught their breath, they rolled towards each other. As they lay facing each other, Jamie recalled a line from one of their favourite Vera Lynn songs: ‘Keep smiling through, sweetheart,’ he whispered, before kissing her softly on the lips.

After responding passionately to his kisses, Ada whispered back, ‘I never stop smiling when I’m with you, my love.’

‘It’s only when you’re gone that smiles fade and tears come,’ she thought, ‘but that’s for me to bear and not another burden for you to carry.’

27. A Shock

Sybil got the shock of her life when she turned up on the ward to visit Rosie, only to find the bed stripped and all the usual clutter littering the bedside table removed.

‘Where’s Mrs Pickles?’ she asked Sister Mann, who bustled busily by with a bedpan.

‘She’s been taken to the hospital in Lancaster,’ the nurse informed her. ‘I’m afraid to say she’s not at all well.’