Netta sat bolt upright and looked down at him with a scowl.

‘Take a long, hard look at yourself. Call yourself a doctor? I pity any patient who comes to you for a stitch when you’re half seas over. What is it drives the demon in you? How can you be so unreliable, so slap-happy and unaware? How many times have you been dried out?’

‘I didn’t know you were a card carrying Temperance Worker.’ Drew sat up, hair standing out like a hedgehog, puzzled by her change of tone.

‘I know when to stop. You can’t. That’s the difference between us. I can’t face Christmas without seeing my child and you can’t face anything without a drink. What a pair of misfits we are! I don’t like Ginnie very much, but I won’t lie here with you whispering sweet nothings in my ear either. Go and sort yourself out. Don’t make matters worse than they already are for me.’

Netta rose pulling down her skirt with embarrassment. Drew staggered to his feet, looking woebegone.

‘I was only trying to help…’

‘I know, but you’ve just gone and spoiled it all, so hop it.’

‘Shall I pop in to see you again?’

‘What do you think? I’m not your patient.’

‘Perhaps not then. I’ll find my coat.’ He shuffled to the door and cracked his head on the beam. ‘Damnation! Must you live in such a tiny room.’

‘It suits me fine. Mind how you go.’

Drew paused at the gate. ‘Happy Christmas to you, Netta.’ She picked up a lump of frozen snow and threw it at his back. It cracked him on the neck. Drew turned round in surprise but the door was already shut.

Window Shopping in Kendal, May 1949

The shops were shutting for the day as Netta dawdled down Strickland Gate, browsing in the shop windows with tired eyes. She was putting off the moment of decision, wasting the best of the afternoon driving light, reluctant to return to the van and take the long winding road south. She looked at young couples pushing go-chairs with babies in sun bonnets, their mouths plugged with rubber dummies. There were still busy shoppers trundling along the street together, peering in the windows or waiting at bus stops; older couples hand in hand enjoying an afternoon stroll, unworried by the sun setting behind the buildings. She thought of Drew and Ginnie planning their wedding as they cantered over the moors together. All the world was paired up and she felt utterly alone. Then she saw the dress.