He texted her the next morning as she was climbing into the bath, informing her that he would be gone most of the day and had to be at the hospital in the late afternoon to be there for Morag’s release. Apologised for not texting last night, he had been caught up with work.

Rose didn’t respond, a lump in her throat at his tone, something distant and impersonal in his text, she wavered over the call button, but something held her back. Knowing that he would have called if he had wanted to talk, suddenly unsure how to read him. Trying not to be that desperate clingy woman who...