‘If I’m anything like as good as you, Josie, I’ll be happy.’

When Matron briefly reappeared to check up on Josie’s progress, she found both nurse and patient fairly relaxed. Beckoning to Ada, she whispered to her in the corridor, ‘Are you fine with this?’

Ada beamed. ‘Of course, don’t worry.’

‘It’s just that another resident might be starting, and Dora’s totally tied up in the nursery. What a day for a member of staff to run away,’ she exclaimed in sheer frustration.

‘We’re fine,’ Ada assured her. ‘Off you go,’ she urged.

‘Thank you, Ada, you are a wonder.’

‘I’m loving it,’ Ada confessed. ‘Delivering babies is unquestionably the best job in the world!’

Considering that it was her first birth, Josie’s labour wasn’t too long; by late afternoon she had delivered a beautiful healthy little girl whom she clasped joyously to her breast.

‘She’s beautiful,’ Josie murmured into her daughter’s downy soft hair. ‘Perfect,’ she sighed as tears slid down her cheeks.

‘She’s gorgeous,’ Ada agreed, as she watched the baby’s tiny fingers grip her mother’s hand.

‘I’d like to call her Ruby, like a little jewel, but I’ll wait until I get back to the in-laws. They promised they would help me choose a name that Jack would have liked.’

Ada nodded as she recalled Josie’s history. The young girl’s RAF fiancé had been shot down over the North Sea when she was only a few months pregnant. Ada remembered how Josie had told her that her fiancé’s parents had encouraged her to keep the baby.

‘It’s all they’ve got of Jack now,’ Josie had tearfully explained.

Looking at mother and daughter, Ada was momentarily overwhelmed by emotion.

‘I’m quite sure this little bundle will bring happiness and joy to you and all of Jack’s family,’ she said softly.

Kissing each of her daughter’s tiny pearly fingernails in turn, Josie murmured, ‘She’s a new beginning; thank God we’ve got her even if we did lose her dad.’

Later, over a quick cup of tea, Matron told Ada that she had notified the police of Edith’s inexplicable disappearance.

Ada, relieved, nodded. ‘Good,’ she said. ‘What did you tell them?’

‘I told them that she had disappeared, that her car’s gone too, but there’s no sign of any foul play, none that I can see anyway,’ Matron explained. ‘They’ll be coming here soon, I should think. When I have a minute, I’ll write to the nursing home where Edith previously worked; maybe they can contact her family on our behalf; there’s no sign of a home address here anywhere …’ Matron’s tired voice trailed away. ‘I really hope she’s safe and well,’ she finished anxiously.

Utterly exhausted herself, Ada struggled to her feet. ‘Hopefully there will be a simple explanation,’ she said soothingly.