‘You’re right, Judy. It’s time to put it all in the past, Ben.’ Hilda placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him. ‘Eat that. You need all your strength to set matters straight. Those creditors aren’t going to be very happy when you tell them what you’ve done.’

‘That’s not helping, Ma.’ Judy stifled a chuckle. How typical of her mother to put things so bluntly. She was right, of course, but that did not make it any easier for Ben, who was obviously bitterly ashamed of his actions.

‘I don’t know what to do,’ he said, draining the last of the coffee from his cup. ‘I gave up my position at the London Hospital because I thought I was going to organise everything for the new hospital. It didn’t occur to me that it might not go through.’

‘Forget that for a moment.’ Judy pulled up a chair and sat down opposite him. ‘You will have to tell your creditors, of course, but you need to find another job or you won’t be able to pay your rent.’

He shook his head. ‘I doubt if I can afford it anyway. I’ll have to find somewhere a lot cheaper, and then when I start earning again I can begin to repay the rest of the money.’

‘I know who might be able to help you,’ Judy said thoughtfully. ‘Dr Marshall is your friend, isn’t he? His wife was very kind to me when I went up to London, looking for work.’

Ben frowned. ‘I don’t like to impose on Toby. I got myself into this mess, and it’s up to me to find a way out.’

‘There’s no shame in asking for assistance when you need it,’ Judy said firmly. ‘I’ll come to London with you, if that would make things easier. There’s little enough for me to do here, and you did help us out at the beginning. Call it the return of a favour, if you like.’

He buried his head in his hands. ‘If I have to depend upon a woman for courage, what sort of fellow does that make me?’

Hilda refilled his coffee cup. ‘Never mind your pride, Ben. Let Judy do what she suggests. She’s very determined when she makes up her mind to do something. Nate and I can manage here for a few days.’

‘What do you say?’ Judy asked eagerly. ‘Let me do this for you, Ben. You’re too good a doctor to mope around because you failed when it came to such a big undertaking. You weren’t to know that Rob Dorning would appear as if from nowhere and outbid you.’

Ben nodded tiredly. ‘You’re right, of course, and I must return to London. I can do nothing more here.’

‘Has anyone seen Rob this morning?’ Judy looked to her mother for an answer and Hilda nodded.

‘Yes, he left earlier. He didn’t say where he was going, but he paid handsomely for the room. We could do with more guests like him.’