The nights were beginning to draw in and it was already getting dark when Kathy returned from her shift that evening. As she had been about to leave the hospital an emergency had been admitted and she and David had both stayed behind to help deal with it so they were much later than they should have been. David had given her a lift home in his car, which was his pride and joy. They were supposed to have been going to the picture house, but Kathy had pleaded a headache, so after giving him a peck on the cheek she got out of the car and watched his car lights disappear down the drive before entering the house.

‘Oh, you’re earlier than I expected – what happened to the pictures?’ Sunday greeted her. ‘We’ve kept your dinner warm in the oven, everyone else has eaten.’

‘Our plans changed, so sorry for ruining your evening,’ Kathy snapped as she flung her cape over the back of a chair. ‘We had an emergency appendix case come in just as me and David were about to leave so we stopped to help get him ready for theatre.’

Sunday glanced across her shoulder as she carried Kathy’s dinner to the table. ‘Is that why you decided not to go to the pictures after all?’

‘I have a headache, so he’s gone home for an early night.’

Kathy didn’t really have much of an appetite, but she supposed she should at least make an effort to eat something if Cissie had gone to the trouble of cooking it for her. Her thoughts had been on Ben and what had happened between them last night all day and as if she could read her mind, Sunday told her, ‘Ben is over at the stables. Midnight’s foal is due any time, so I dare say he’ll be spending most of his time with her now till it arrives, and Livvy has gone out with her friends from work.’

‘Mm.’ Kathy mumbled as she attacked the chop on her plate. It had dried up considerably and was as tough as old boots, but she forced a mouthful down.

‘Jamie and Flora came to see me today,’ Sunday rambled on. ‘Apparently Constance is pregnant. It’ll be their first grandchild.’ She beamed happily. ‘So that makes me almost a great-grandmother!’ Jamie was another person who Sunday had brought up since he was a small child and she was very close to him and his wife who lived in a small cottage in Hartshill village.

‘That’s nice.’ Kathy tried another mouthful, sure that she would need a new set of teeth if she tried to eat it all. Eventually she gave up and apologised, ‘Sorry, Mum, I’m afraid with this headache I’m not really very hungry.’

Instantly concerned, Sunday whipped her plate away. ‘It is a bit shrivelled,’ she admitted. ‘How about I make you a nice sandwich instead?’