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that.’
    â€˜Most of those are overcrowded slums. Two or three families all living together under one roof, sharing everything from kitchens to lavatories,’ he told her flatly.
    â€˜I know, and I don’t mind. I’ve become used to sharing a room with someone since I’ve been at Hilbury.’
    â€˜It’s not quite the same though, is it? I imagine everything is scrupulously clean at Hilbury and—’
    â€˜But I have to find somewhere, Lewis. Look, we have to get back before anyone misses us and wants to know why we went out so early.’ Her voice rose and she smothered back a sob. ‘I’m counting on you to help me to find somewhere to live and then, after I’ve had the baby, please would you help me to arrange for it to be adopted?’
    Lewis looked taken aback. ‘All right, all right. I understand the fix you are in, but I do need time to think this through. When did you say you thought this baby was due?’
    â€˜About the same time as yours; sometime in February. So you see the predicament I am in and how much I need your help.’
    â€˜I’m still of the opinion that you should tell Mother, or even the Hendersons – after all, it
is
their grandchild.’
    â€˜That is right out of the question,’ Christabel told him. ‘If you won’t help me, then I’ll find someone else who will or I’ll get rid of it myself somehow.’
    â€˜Christabel! You are overwrought; you don’t know what you are saying.’
    â€˜So you will help me?’ She looked at him pleadingly. ‘I’m counting on you, Lewis.’
    â€˜I’ll have to think about it,’ he said evasively. ‘I think we’d better be getting back now or they’ll be wondering where we are.’
    â€˜I can rely on you to help me, though?’ Christabel persisted as they began to retrace their steps.
    â€˜There’s an awful lot involved,’ he parried. ‘It’s not just a question of finding you somewhere to live, but also arranging where you can have the baby. If you want to keep it quiet, then it will have to be a private nursing home and they are very expensive.’
    â€˜I’ve told you I will pay you back every penny. I’ll go back to Hilbury the minute I’ve had it,’ she promised.
    â€˜What if they don’t agree to take you back? When they hear you are going to have a baby, they’ll probably dismiss you.’
    â€˜They’re not going to know, though, are they? I’ll tell them I will be taking some time off to look after Mother. You could write them a letter saying she has been taken ill and asking if I can have a few months off to look after her.’
    â€˜Christabel!’ Lewis stopped and stared at herin disbelief. ‘I can hardly believe that you can be so devious.’
    â€˜Would you write the letter? Not yet, of course,’ she added hurriedly. ‘I want to go on working for as long as possible. With any luck, I won’t need to leave Hilbury until November.’

Chapter Four
    Christabel was extremely conscious that her body was rapidly changing and there was no disguising the fact that it was thickening.
    Each day when she put on her nurse’s uniform it seemed to be that little bit tighter and she became increasingly worried about how long she was going to be able to manage to keep the fact hidden from Peggy, who shared her room, never mind Sister Speakley and everyone else at Hilbury.
    It wasn’t until she went home one weekend in late October and her mother commented that she seemed to be putting on weight, that she decided the time had come to leave Hilbury.
    That weekend she went to see Lewis on the pretext that she wanted to find out how Violet was.
    â€˜You are only home for a couple of days and you are going to spend time visiting them? I didn’t think you liked Violet all that much,’ her mother said tetchily.
    â€˜I thought you