‘We missed you, Mummy,’ Sally whispered.

‘And I missed you too,’ Rosie said, as she pulled her daughter close and kissed the top of her head.

While Edith was checking Rosie’s medical chart, which hung on the end of the bed, Ronnie disentangled himself from his mother’s arms to ask a question. ‘Can we go and say hello to Auntie Sybil?’

Edith was taken aback when she heard Rosie’s sharp reply.

‘No, not now, son.’

‘Why?’ the boy persisted.

Hauling Edith into the conversation, she was clearly clutching at straws. ‘Sybil’s asleep, isn’t she, Sister?’

Knowing full well that Sybil was, in fact, wide awake and reading a magazine in bed, awkward Edith mumbled, ‘Er, I’m not quite sure.’

Seizing the moment, Ronnie cried out, ‘I’ll go and check.’

‘No, Ronnie!’ his mother called after the departing boy.

Seeing Rosie’s tense face, Edith followed the boy down the ward, where she found him greeting Sybil. When Edith appeared, Ronnie announced triumphantly, ‘See, she’s not asleep.’

Feeling even more awkward, Edith said sternly, ‘You’re not to bother all of my patients, young man.’

‘I’ll be good,’ Ronnie promised.

Returning to Rosie’s bed, Edith told her patient that Sybil was awake, and Ronnie was with her. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Sally shot off too.

Rosie rolled her eyes in despair. ‘Damn!’ she muttered crossly.

‘I can bring them back if you want,’ Edith suggested.

Rosie gave an irritated sigh. ‘No, leave it, Sister,’ she said wearily. ‘Sybil’s their hero these days and there’s nothing much we can do about it for the moment.’

Feeling sorry for Rosie, Edith went about her duties, only briefly dashing off the ward to see if there was any mail for her in the staff pigeon-holes. When she saw Charles’s elegant copperplate handwriting on an embossed envelope, her heart almost leapt out of her ribcage.

‘Hah!’ She smothered a cry of joy as she grabbed the envelope and slipped it into her uniform pocket.

Just the feel of it against her skin made Edith burn with excitement, she couldn’t wait to be alone and in private, free to read Charles’s news. Barely containing her impatience at having to do another bed-bath and change some more dressings, Edith didn’t get a minute alone till nearly tea-time, when she slipped into her office to slit open the envelope with trembling fingers. Would this be the one she had been waiting for, the call to go to Charles, she wondered breathlessly.

My dearest Edith,

I am so sorry for the hiatus in my communications.

The hospital board insisted that we advertised the job of theatre sister.

Edith’s heart leapt into her throat. ‘Oh, no! They’ve gone and appointed somebody else.’