Private Gordon was staggering down the centre of the ward, clinging to his friend Albie Sallis’ arm, Albie was egging him on every step of the way, while Grace and Dr Logan stood at the end of the ward, beaming like proud parents.

Dulcie watched them, lanced with jealousy. She had tried her best to dismiss what Captain Jeffers had said to her about them. But she couldn’t ignore what her own eyes were telling her.

She could see it now, in the sideways glances Dr Logan kept giving Grace. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her for a second.

Grace, of course, seemed utterly oblivious. All her attention was fixed on Private Gordon’s progress down the ward. Her hands were clasped together, willing him on with every step.

Gordon finally reached Dulcie’s end of the ward.

‘Well, done, mate! You did it!’ Albie Sallis clapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him off balance. ‘I told you, didn’t I? You can do anything you set your mind to.’

At the far end of the ward, Grace and Dr Logan had burst into spontaneous applause. As Dulcie watched, Grace turned around and grinned at Dr Logan. It was the widest, least flirtatious smile Dulcie had ever seen, yet Dr Logan gazed at her as if she were Pearl White or Mary Pickford.

It couldn’t be, she told herself. She had lost men before, but never, ever to a goose like Grace Duffield.

‘Nu – nu—’ George Hawkins made a strange grunting sound at the back of his throat. His hand pawed at hers on top of the covers, silently urging her to finish reading. Dulcie sighed resentfully and snatched up the letter.

‘Now where was I? Oh, yes, the blooming roses …’

Dulcie was still sulking when they all met in the nurses’ common room that night. Sylvia had handed out her wedding invitations, which of course prompted yet another tedious discussion about arrangements.

‘I’m going for my final dress fitting in a couple of weeks,’ she said coyly. ‘I wondered if anyone would like to come with me?’

She was looking straight at Dulcie, but she ignored it. Let the other girls twitter with excitement if they wanted. Dulcie refused to give her the satisfaction.

Thankfully, the conversation changed to another outing to the picture house Miriam Trott was planning for the men of Monaghan ward for the following evening. For some reason she was asking Grace to come this time, instead of Dulcie.

‘Don’t ask her.’ Jealousy made Dulcie waspish. ‘Last time she took the men on an outing she managed to lose one of them!’

It was supposed to be a joke, but no one laughed.

‘I can’t come anyway,’ Grace said. ‘I’ve already made an arrangement for tomorrow evening.’

A shocked silence fell. The other girls all turned to stare at her.

‘You have a date?’ Miriam spoke for all of them.

‘I wouldn’t call it a date, exactly.’ Grace blushed. ‘Dr Logan has invited me to a lecture he’s giving on shell shock.’