‘Hmm.’ Sunday frowned. ‘I’m afraid you may be rather shocked when you see her next. Her arm is still splinted, of course, and the doctor has warned her that it will always be weak now. It was a very bad break – and her face is badly scarred too. She’s very conscious of it, although George – in fact, all of us – has assured her that she’s still lovely and it doesn’t matter to us in the least. We’re just grateful we didn’t lose her. But of course, it matters to her. Cissie has never been a vain person but now she can hardly bear to look in a mirror.’

They reverted to talking of Ben’s training then and he had them roaring with laughter as he described some of the characters he had met and the conditions they were forced to live in.

‘We’re in big tents,’ he said, ‘which is fine in the warm weather, but I dread to think what it will be like in the winter. And the beds are made of wood! Not very comfortable at all, I can assure you. But the food is the worst thing! It’s some sort of stew most days that we wouldn’t feed to yon Barney. I shall waste away,’ he sighed dramatically, and once again they all fell about laughing.

‘So how long are you home for?’ Sunday asked, wiping her eyes.

‘I’ve got a week’s leave then I report back to camp and we all get shipped out.’

‘I see, and have they told you where you’ll be going?’

‘Belgium or France I should imagine, although it’s all very hush-hush.’

Sunday’s stomach dropped at the thought of it but she kept her smile firmly in place as she told him, ‘Then we shall have to make the most of every second we have with you until you leave.’

She gave his hand a loving squeeze, and as she stared at him she found herself wondering when he had changed from a boy into such a handsome young man.

Chapter Forty-Six

‘I wonder why Hugh hasn’t been in touch,’ Cissie said thoughtfully as she and Sunday sat enjoying elevenses in the kitchen at Treetops in mid-August. The police had closed the investigation into Cissie’s attack. As they pointed out, there was no evidence to suggest that anyone else had been involved. She might just have fallen badly and as she was still blissfully ignorant about Hugh’s part in it she hadn’t argued with them. Sunday hoped it would stay that way, for there was nothing to be gained from yet more heartache – although she and Tom had their own thoughts on the matter.

‘It could be that he’s enlisted and been sent off to train before he could come to say goodbye to you,’ Sunday suggested, hoping to make Cissie feel better.

‘Eeh, I’d be that proud of him if he had.’ Cissie smiled. ‘An’ if that’s the case, I might well get a letter from him, mightn’t I?’