Recalling having to leave Charles brought tears to Edith’s eyes; he had been simply wonderful. Grateful for the sacrifices she had made in order to protect his reputation, he had arranged a weekend away in a discreet hotel in Whitby. There he had showered her with gifts and promises of working together and continuing their relationship in the dim and distant future. Edith had been touched by his promises, but, ever the realist, she held out no long-term romantic hopes. Charles was a married man and showed not the slightest inclination to leave his wife, and neither would she want him to. She wasn’t cut out to be a consultant’s partner: she had enjoyed being his devoted mistress, but beyond that she had no further hope or expectations.

Keeping her emotions firmly under control, Edith hadn’t begged Charles to keep in touch; she hadn’t even left him her forwarding address. If he ever needed to communicate with her, Edith reasoned that Charles could always locate her current address through the nursing-home records. Though sad and disappointed that she hadn’t heard from him, Edith was hard-headed enough to accept the truth of her situation and live with it.

Her time with Charles had undoubtedly been too short-lived, but Edith never regretted a single moment; it had been the most perfect time of her life, and nobody could ever take that away from her. Giving a long, resigned sigh, Edith straightened her stiffly starched, white lace-edged cap. Would there ever be another Charles? She couldn’t imagine it, but, if there were, she hoped that he wouldn’t be stupid enough to be spotted sneaking away from the nurses’ dorm in the dead of night carrying his shoes in his hands.

20. Sybil and Rosie

Sister Mann reluctantly and very occasionally attended the breathing and exercise classes, where Ada was by far the most pregnant woman of all the women there. It was a time of cheerful camaraderie, when the women could bond as they lay on their backs (usually in the sunny garden) with their legs up in the air. Much to Ada’s surprise Sybil had recently started attending her classes, speaking little but concentrating hard on her breathing. When the class was over, Ada made a point of chatting to Sybil, who was hunkering down putting on her shoes.

‘Are you finding the sessions helpful?’ Ada enquired.

Sybil cocked her head to one side. ‘Now, Sister, I can’t give you a true answer to that question until after I’ve given birth.’

‘You know what I mean,’ Ada said, smiling.

Sybil gave a slow nod. ‘It’s nice that we can exercise outside in the fresh air,’ she conceded.

Ada agreed whole-heartedly. ‘It’s lovely to lie back with the sun on your face and feel your baby kicking.’