And besides, didn’t Sister always say nurses had to learn to keep themselves distant from their patients? It didn’t always do to be as soft-hearted as Grace Duffield, letting herself get so emotional over the men’s troubles.

‘Nurse? Nurse, can you help me?’

Dulcie turned at the sound of a man’s voice coming from the bed opposite. She was just about to go over to him when she realised he was calling out to Anna Beck at the other end of the ward.

Dulcie stopped in her tracks as Anna approached him. ‘Yes, Private Garrett? What seems to be the matter?’

‘My splint’s giving me a bit of gyp. You couldn’t loosen it off for me a bit, could you?’

‘Let’s have a look at it, shall we?’

Dulcie watched Anna as she unfastened her starched cuffs and slipped them into her apron pocket.

‘I daresay he didn’t want to bother you, Nurse,’ Sergeant McCray answered Dulcie’s unspoken question. ‘We know you’re always so busy.’

She turned to look at him. There was a mocking glint in the sergeant’s eye she didn’t like.

An orderly appeared, carrying a bundle of newspapers. Dulcie hurried over.

‘I’ll have one of those, please.’ She took it from him and made her way purposefully up the ward, to where Sam Trevelyan was sitting propped up in bed, scowling into space as usual.

He sent her a wary look as she approached. ‘What do you want?’ he growled.

Dulcie determinedly ignored his ferocious mood. ‘Good morning, Sergeant Trevelyan,’ she said. ‘I’ve brought you a newspaper.’

He looked at the paper in her hands, then turned away. ‘I don’t want it.’

‘Don’t you want to know what’s going on in the world?’

‘Not particularly.’

‘I’ll leave it here on your locker for you anyway. Just in case you change your mind.’

‘I won’t.’

Dulcie stared at him, at a loss for a moment. ‘Some of the other men are setting up a game of whist,’ she said. ‘Don’t you want to join them?’

He looked up at her with those cold green eyes of his. ‘Any reason why I should?’

‘I just thought you’d enjoy some company, that’s all.’

‘I’d rather be on my own.’

He sent her a meaningful look, which Dulcie ignored. ‘Here, let me plump up your pillows.’

‘There’s no need,’ he started to say, but she was already punching them into shape.

‘What’s all this in aid of?’ Sam Trevelyan wanted to know. ‘Are you in Sister’s bad books again?’

‘Certainly not!’ Dulcie said, but all the same she couldn’t help glancing around, hoping that Miss Sutton would witness her being busy and compassionate. But she was busy behind the screens around bed four.

‘You’ll punch all the life out of that pillow if you’re not careful.’

Dulcie stuffed it quickly back into place. ‘There, that’s better, isn’t it?’

‘If you say so.’

She was about to walk away when the screens around bed four were suddenly pushed back, and Sister emerged. Dulcie immediately turned back to Sam Trevelyan.