Jack and Luke fled to opposite ends of the corridor. Jack gazed, unseeing, towards Porthcarne. Luke gazed, unseeing, towards Navax Point. Both were praying and both were shaking.

Alicia was making mighty strange noises which reduced the two men to utter helplessness. They turned and faced each other.

‘Why do we have to open all the doors and windows?’ Luke asked, suddenly afraid he was omitting to do something vital.

‘I don’t know!’ Jack was frantic. ‘Wait! It’s to make sure it’ll be an easy birth.’

They opened all the windows and doors down the corridor until they were outside the labour room. Alicia screamed again, a terrible sound, which seemed to go on and on. Then there was silence. Worried beyond belief, Jack and Luke closed in on each other.

‘What’s happening?’ Jack whispered, very scared.

‘I don’t know,’ Luke whispered back.

They put their ears close to the door, and heard the sound of a baby’s cry. With exclamations of delight they shook hands, their eyes met and they fell into an elated hug.

‘How long should we wait?’ Jack was back to whispering.

‘You should have stayed in there,’ Luke said sympathetically. ‘Remember how my father wouldn’t allow the midwives to turn him out while my mama was giving birth to Samuel? Or any of us, apparently.’

‘It’s still crying. I hope Alicia’s all right.’

Luke listened. ‘She is, that was her voice.’

‘I wonder what it is.’

‘They could at least shout through the door. You’ve got the right to know if you have a son or a daughter, Jack.’

‘She had backache all day. I should’ve thought—’

‘Shhh, someone’s coming.’

The two men quickly smoothed back their hair and fiddled with their coats. They were standing tall and straight when Mabena opened the door.

‘Well?’ they said together into her chirpy face.

‘’Tes a little maid. All’s well. We’ve rubbed her foot with ta rabbit’s foot, so she’ll have good luck all her life. She’s a brave enough size considerin’, an’ poor Mrs Jack had a hard job bringin’ her out. She’ll be more an’ a bit sore with the quickness of it. Mrs Curnow says t’ give her ten minutes then ’ee can come in.’ Mabena bobbed a cheeky curtsey and closed the door.

Jack looked at Luke. ‘A girl.’

‘Yes, a girl.’

‘A girl!’

‘You’ve got a daughter, Jack.’ Luke slapped him on the back. ‘Congratulations. I’m so glad this happened before I leave for London.’ Luke held out his hand, ‘About just now…’

‘Can we just forget it?’

They grasped hands.

Luke leant back against the wall. ‘If your little girl had chosen twenty-four hours later to make her appearance, Jack…’

‘There’s no need to think about that now. We can all settle down and enjoy life from now on.’