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nurse. It was the only way I could think of to get away from home without them stopping me.’
    Lewis let out a long, soft whistle. ‘Why on earth didn’t you tell me earlier instead of packing your bags and leaving home. That’s only made matters worse.’
    â€˜I wasn’t completely sure . . . I . . . I half hoped I was wrong and that everything would come right again and that my feeling sick was something to do with the shock of losing Philip,’ she mumbled, her face red with embarrassment at having to talk about such matters with her brother. ‘Even when I arrived at Hilbury and found that I was still being sick most mornings I tried to convince myself that it was the change of environment and the smell of antiseptic or else the different kind of food I was eating because the symptoms always wore off by lunchtime.’
    â€˜You could be wrong,’ he said hopefully. ‘It might be shock and so on.’
    â€˜No, I know for certain that it isn’t any of those things,’ she said despairingly.
    â€˜So you are absolutely sure?’
    Her colour deepened. ‘After last night I am quite positive. You know what Lilian said, when she asked Violet about whether she had quickened.’
    â€˜Yes.’ He frowned, and waited for her to continue.
    â€˜Well, I have, too. Several times I’ve felt the baby moving and I know it is there and growing bigger all the time because my clothes are all too tight for me. That’s why I need your help, Lewis; don’t you see, soon it will be obvious to everyone. I won’t be able to stay at Hilbury and I can’t come home.’
    â€˜Are you quite sure that you don’t want either Mother or Father to know?’
    â€˜Of course I don’t! You know perfectly well that they’d be terribly shocked.’
    â€˜Would they?’ He frowned thoughtfully. ‘They might be quite understanding. After all, you were planning to get married the next time Philip came on leave.’
    â€˜No!’ Her chin jutted. ‘I don’t want them to know anything at all about it.’
    â€˜So what are you planning to do, then? You won’t be able to go on working as a nurse.’
    â€˜I know that; I’ve left it too late to have an abortion, and I want to have this baby and thenhave it adopted. I’m hoping that that will be the end of the matter and I’ll be able to get on with my life again.’
    Lewis stood stock still and grabbed her by the shoulders and stared down at her in disbelief. ‘Do you know what you are saying, Christabel? This is me you are talking to.’
    â€˜Don’t try and talk me out of it,’ she said, pulling away from him and starting to walk again. ‘I’ve thought it all through and that is why I want you to help me.’
    â€˜So what are you hoping that I can do about it?’ he asked in a bewildered voice.
    â€˜I can’t ask Father to increase my allowance and no matter how frugal I am I know it won’t be enough to live on once I am no longer at Hilbury, so I want you to help me find a cheap room somewhere and pay the rent for me until after I’ve had the baby.’
    â€˜That’s a rather tall order, Christabel. I have increased responsibilities of my own now that Violet is pregnant. I’m not sure that I can afford it.’
    â€˜Please, Lewis; I’m depending on you. You earn a good salary and I’ll pay back every penny it costs you as soon as I am back at work again. I’m not asking you to install me in a house of my own, I only want one small room in a cheap lodging house or somewhere like that and, of course, it must be in some other part of Liverpool.’
    â€˜Where on earth do you think you are going to find a place like that?’
    â€˜I don’t know but I thought you would. There must be cheap rooms around the dock area, some of those small streets off Scotland Road, somewhere like