Both Flors and Mags said ‘Yes’ together. Mags took hold of one of Ella’s hands, and Flors went round the other side of the bed and took hold of her other hand as she said, ‘Always, the three of us – together. No one can break us.’

At this, all three felt the tears spill over. Flors controlled hers first. ‘Let’s sit you up, darling. Then you can look around you, instead of staring up at the ceiling.’

As they lifted Ella, Mags was appalled to feel her bones jutting from her wasted body. Flors looked over at her, her face full of concern. Propping Ella up, Flors told her, ‘That’s better. Now, I’m going to leave you with Mags, Ella, and go and see the sister of the ward, and discuss how soon we can take you out of here.’

‘No, I’ll come with you, Flors. You’ll be all right for a moment, won’t you, Ella?’

At Ella’s nod, Mags walked away with Flors. ‘My God, Flors, what do you think is wrong?’

‘I would say ill-treatment, mental torment, a broken heart – all things that can be mended by us, Mags, but not in these clinical conditions. We need Ella out of here, and with Lonia.’

‘Flors, you are a very special person. You have been through some of what Ella has, with what those soldiers did to you, and yet you haven’t crumbled.’

‘I nearly did. Cyrus and I had a battle to get through, as he was so hurt by it all, but it is as I said: the rejection of me by my family, as a child, helped to shape me to fight back, no matter what I had to face. We’ve got to help Ella do that.’

The sister surprised them by agreeing with them. ‘There is nothing clinically wrong with Mrs Smith-Palmer; she needs building up, and help to come to terms with what she’s been through. Your idea might be just the thing for her. I will speak to the doctor and, hopefully, we can discharge her into your care tomorrow.’

Mags and Flors hugged each other and Mags felt such relief that she hugged the sister, too. The sister laughed as she tried to hold on to her headdress. ‘My, that wasn’t expected, but I think you will both be exactly the tonic my patient needs.’

‘Mags! You and your hugs!’

They both giggled, but then Mags became serious. ‘We’ve a lot to do, though, Flors. We can’t take Ella back to a hotel, not as she is, and yet we have to make everything happen quickly.’