‘Did the wife say if she was bringing his sons to say goodbye? I know Mary Kate has been fretting about that.’

‘Oh no.’ Matron leant forward in the chair and her cup and saucer clattered on her desk. ‘I asked her to. I said that it would really help him in his final days, but she told me quite clearly that she had no intention of bringing them. The poor man, he asks after them every single day.’

Dr Gaskell felt a tear sting his eye; he must be getting soft in his old age. ‘He knows he doesn’t have long. He told me it was impossible for Mary Kate to bring his boys to see him, that Lavinia would never allow it, so he told her he didn’t want to see them until he was better. That’s why we’re not allowed to tell her he isn’t going to get better, to protect her from trying to fetch the boys from the school in Surrey and having to suffer the wrath of Lavinia Marcus. He’s shielding her. If even you found Mrs Marcus a challenge, imagine what it would be like for that poor girl. Nicholas would wrap her up in cotton wool if he could.’

The phone on Matron’s desk rang and as she spoke, Dr Gaskell knew without being told what was wrong. A chill ran through him and despite the fire burning high in the grate, he shivered.

‘Yes, Sister. Yes, don’t worry. Dr Gaskell is here with me. We will be down right away.’

*

If Mary Kate had been allowed to, she would have run down the hospital corridor.

Cat saw them approaching the ward doors before they saw her. She was talking to William, Nicholas’s practice partner, and they were standing slightly apart from the rest of the visitors waiting to go in. ‘Oh God, she’s here,’ she said, her feet frozen to the spot. ‘Mrs O’Keefe is with her.’

‘You stay here,’ said William. ‘I’ve had to do this a few times before. It comes with the job, unfortunately.’

There were just a few seconds of grace as Mary Kate, her face taut with impatience and purpose, marched towards him. Nicholas had spoken about her so often, he felt he knew her better than he actually did. ‘She has turned my life around,’ Nicholas used to say to him on his daily visits to the ward. ‘I was only living half a life and she changed all that. I miss the boys, that’s the worst part, but even that is more bearable as she’s so good with them when we do have them or are allowed to visit them at school.’

William caught the eye of Mrs O’Keefe and it was apparent that no words were needed. Her jaw dropped. ‘Mary Kate…’ she said, putting out her hand.

But it was one minute past six and there was only one person on Mary Kate’s mind. Just one man filling her thoughts as her feet strode through the now opening ward doors, the love that burnt in her heart propelling her forwards. With her gaze fixed ahead, she almost pushed past William as he reached out and grabbed her arm.