‘And what about me?’

‘You’ve got Edward,’ Liesel said. ‘You’re going to be married next week, then you’ll be off together and I’ll be the one left out.’

‘I’d never leave you out!’

‘No, but you’ll have a husband, and that makes everything different.’ Liesel pleaded with her for understanding. ‘I know you don’t like it, Anna, but things change. We can’t stay as we are forever, sitting by the fire with our candles and our Christmas presents. Mother and Papa have gone, and now we have to make our own lives too.’

‘Fine.’ Anna turned away from her, staring into the flickering flames. ‘Go and spend Christmas with your precious Davy. I hope they enjoy their chicken and their wretched Christmas cake.’

‘They won’t,’ Liesel said. ‘The farmer’s wife is a terrible cook. One of the other Land Girls broke her tooth on a mince pie the other day.’

They looked at each other for a moment, and then they both burst out laughing. Honestly, Anna thought, it would be a lot easier if she could stay angry with her sister for more than five minutes.

‘Why don’t you come with me?’ Liesel said. ‘I’m sure Davy’s mother wouldn’t mind.’

‘I’m sure she would,’ Anna said. ‘Besides, I don’t want to spend Christmas Day watching you and Davy making sheep’s eyes at each other.’

‘But I can’t bear to think of you being on your own on Christmas Day.’

‘I won’t. I’ll go back to the hospital. I’m sure Sister would welcome an extra pair of hands, especially as most of the VADs have gone home to their families. And I’ll be able to see Edward,’ she added. That would cheer him up, at least.

Liesel left early on Christmas morning, hurrying off to catch her train in another flurry of bags and luggage. She seemed so grown up, Anna thought as she watched her walking away down the road.

Why did everything have to change so fast? It hardly seemed like any time ago that Liesel was a chubby little toddler, holding tightly to Anna’s hand, her fair curls bobbing. Now she was a young woman, and soon she would probably be married too.

The bakery felt too large and too lonely without her sister. Anna couldn’t wait to leave and return to the sanctuary of the hospital, where she could be with her friends. The warm, happy atmosphere of Christmas on the ward would soon help melt away her loneliness.

This is the last Christmas I’ll be on my own, she reminded herself. This time next year, she and Edward would be celebrating together, and she would never have to feel so alone again.

As she was putting on her coat to leave, she found Tom’s letter in the pocket. Still in her coat and hat, she sat down at the kitchen table to read it.

But there was no letter. Instead Tom had sent her a Christmas card of sorts, a roughly drawn caricature of three soldiers sitting on a hay bale, rifles at their feet and tin helmets at rakish angles on their heads. Each was holding a Christmas pudding in their hands, and underneath were scrawled the words ‘Merry Christmas and all the best for 1918 from up the line’.