‘Good, I’ll go and get that sorted. Do you need pain relief? No, okay, let me know if you do. The police,’ she added, ‘said they’d be here to speak to you at ten. The consultant does his rounds about eleven, and we’re anticipating he will discharge you home at that stage.’

‘Discharge?’ Jack looked at the nurse in disbelief. ‘She was knocked down; she’s got a broken rib for Pete’s sake. There’s no way she’s ready to go home.’

Molly tried to grasp his arm, but he’d stood to confront the nurse. ‘Jack, it’s okay, I’ll be better at home.’

The nurse spoke soothingly. ‘Your wife is doing fine, Mr Chatwell. There is nothing to be done for broken ribs, except to take pain relief as needed and to be careful until they heal. She would be better off in the comfort of her home.’ She threw a smile towards Molly, gave Jack a guarded look and left.

‘Ridiculous,’ Jack said when she’d left. He paced the room restlessly.

Molly was tired already. ‘Why don’t you go home and get some rest. I’ll be depending on you to be alert later.’

He frowned. ‘You sure you don’t want me to be here when the police come?’

‘Positive. Go home, get some sleep, then come back like a knight in shining armour and rescue me.’

It made him smile. ‘I’ll ride to your rescue, fair maiden.’ He leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. ‘Stay safe until I get back.’

It was peaceful when he’d gone. She lay trying to think of nothing, slightly annoyed when the door opened.

The young man, who came through carrying a tray, introduced himself as Geoff. He put the tray on the bed table and pulled it within her reach. ‘Can you manage everything?’ he asked, fussing with the position of the cup and knife.

The aroma of coffee drifted toward her; she nodded gratefully and reached to pick up the cup. It was surprisingly good. The toast was freshly made; she spread butter and marmalade awkwardly with one hand and despite thinking she wouldn’t, she ate the two slices.

She had almost finished the coffee, her mind once again wandering, when she was brought back to earth by a knock on the door. ‘Come in,’ she called, guessing it would be the two detectives she was starting to refer to in her head as hers.

DI Fanshawe smiled at her. ‘You’re looking a little better than yesterday at any rate,’ he said, pulling a chair over to sit. ‘You feel up to talking?’

‘Yes,’ she said, ‘in fact, I have something interesting to tell you.’

‘Oh?’ he said, raising an eyebrow. ‘Go ahead.’