Meanwhile, Edith had plenty of work to do and a busy morning lay ahead. After helping several patients to freshen up with a bed-bath, Edith changed a number of dressings before she boiled all the recently used syringes and medical instruments in the sterilizer in the sluice room. After which the mid-day meal was served, Sister Mary Paul’s flaky cheese-and-onion pie followed by spotted dick and custard. As she served lunch, Edith couldn’t help but notice that a certain coolness had developed between Rosie and Sybil, which surprised her, as before the children’s disappearance they had been the best of friends. Sybil, suddenly keen to leave the post-natal ward, asked when she might be able to return to the Home.

‘When the doctor gives his permission,’ Edith replied, as she tidied Sybil’s bed. ‘What are your plans for the future?’ she continued. ‘Are you returning to your previous occupation?’

Sybil shook her head. ‘I want to continue with my war work but not in the War Office. I’ve been thinking of going into radar signalling. It’s vital work, intercepting the location of enemy bomber planes. Most of the radar stations are on the coast, though their exact location is top secret for security reasons. If I did follow that line of work, I wouldn’t be going back to London.’

‘Sounds thrilling,’ Edith said, before probing a bit. ‘Do you know of Rosie’s plans for the future?’

‘She certainly can’t go back to Finsbury Park,’ Sybil replied. ‘You should have seen the state of the place, just a blasted, filthy bomb-site.’

‘Ronnie and Sally are much better off up here,’ Edith remarked.

‘I saw them yesterday chattering away, nineteen to the dozen with Mrs Larkin when she came to pick them up. Now that Rosie’s ordeal is over, she will no doubt want to be reunited with her children.’

‘Yes,’ Edith agreed. ‘I wonder what they will do now?’

At visiting time Edith was surprised to see Mrs Larkin with Rosie’s children.

‘I hope you don’t mind, Sister, but the kiddies were keen to see their mum,’ the kind foster mother explained, knowing the Ward Sister had every right to turn the youngsters off the ward. But, given their exceptional circumstances, even strict Edith hadn’t the heart to turn them away.

‘Only an hour,’ she warned.

‘Thanks,’ Mrs Larkin said gratefully. ‘They’ve never stopped talking about their train journey back here with “Auntie Sybil”. Different from what Ronnie used to call her – an old witch, and a lot worse too,’ she chuckled. ‘Their time in London with Sybil seems to have changed everything.’

Edith raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘Auntie Sybil, indeed,’ she thought. ‘My word, how things have changed.’

When Edith delivered the children to their mother’s bedside, she smiled as Ronnie and Sally hugged and kissed Rosie, who flushed with pleasure at the sight of them.

‘Back again,’ she exclaimed.