It was the roses that convinced Sister Evangelina to request a quiet word with Nurse Noakes. A dozen long stem red roses and box of chocolates that sent the other girls squealing with delight but had Sister Julienne and her raising their eyebrows. That was a guilt gift if they had ever seen one.

"You wanted to see me?" Chummy said, standing in the doorway of Sister Evangelina's cell. She wasn't sure what exactly she had done to rate a visit there. Usually if there was a problem, Sister Julienne summoned you to her office. Or Sister Evangelina just chewed you out wherever she happened to see you at. Chummy couldn't recall anyone ever being invited or summoned, depending on how one looked at it, to a Sister's cell before.

"Yes," Sister Evangelina said, ushering her in and closing the door. The room was sparsely furnished. There was only a bed, a desk, a dresser, and a cross much like the one that hung in Chummy's old room. She motioned for Chummy to take the desk chair while she sat directly in front of her on the bed. "Nurse Noakes, Chummy, relax, I didn't call you hear to ball you out. I wanted to talk to you about Nurse Brown."

"What about her?" Chummy asked, confused.

"How well do you know her new beau?"

"Well, he dated a chum of mine back in Roedean days, but since then, I'd just say nodding aquaintances. Part of me wants to think he's too old for her, but that's just the big sister in me that needs reminding that she's not still the little girl she was when I left for Roedean and that she seems happy," Chummy replied. "Why?"

"I'll just tell ya' straight, I'm afraid 'e's 'urting 'er," Sister Evangelina spit out.

"What do you mean?" Chummy asked, alarmed.

"Well, I know you've noticed that she's been sporting a fair amount of bumps and bruises lately," Sister replied, then added, "And she is far more quiet than she was when she came."

Chummy thought about what the older woman was saying. She had noticed scraped hand and stiff arm, but Rosie had plausible explanations for those and as far as the change in demeanor, she had noticed, but had put it down to Rosie just settling into her new role. Rosie had always been a boisterious, outgoing girl as a child, and had exhibited those same traits when she had first come to Nonnatus, but Chummy had no experience of her as an adult, except for the odd holiday here and there. It didn't seem outside the realm of possibility that she would calm down with getting to know the other girls. But Sister Evangelina's fears were starting to put doubts in her mind.

"One will speak with her," Chummy said decidedly.

"We had hoped you would," Evangelina gave a rare smile, relieved. "Sister Julienne and I hope she will tell you what she won't tell us."

"She will if I have anything to do with it," she replied, firmly. "And thank you for bringing it to my attention."

Sister Evangelina nodded. She was glad Nurse Noakes had a good head on her shoulders and didn't dismiss her concerns out of hand due to her unfortunate habit of disliking the upper class.

Peter was surprised to find that it was indeed his house that the wonderful smell was coming from. At this point in the evening, the windows were usually opened wide to let out the smoke and Camilla would be staring forlornly at what was to be their evening meal. He would hide his laughter as he would tell her that he wasn't in the mood for roast beef, or steak and kidney pie, or Cornish pastries, or whatever supper was supposed to have been, then suggest they take dinner out, or that he make up a simple hash while she cleaned the dishes and secretly look forward to Sunday dinner with his folks.

"Hello, Dear," he said, taking off his tunic without looking up.

"Hello, Darling."

His head snapped up at the sound of the wrong voice. Rosie was standing at the stove stirring something that smelled delicious.

"Rosie-poley?"

"Chummy is hemming one's dress for this weekend," she laughed. "Since, according to her, I waited till the last bally minute to ask her, we traded services. Dinner for a bit of sewing."

"And I do say we got the better end of the deal, Old Fellow," Chummy said, joining them in the kitchen. She gave him a quick kiss. "Let me take over, if you aren't doing anything to delicate and you run on back and try it on," she said to Rosie.

"Actually," Rosie replied, putting out the burner. "All you need to do is turn the oven off when you hear the timer. Just turn it off, nothing else. Peter, don't let her do anything else, or she'll ruin what I've been working all afternoon on."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Chummy called after her retreating figure. Then she glanced at Peter's amused look. "She's only been here an hour and half."

After turning off the oven, Chummy called to Rosie, "Alright in there? How does it fit?"

Rose returned to the kitchen wearing a frilly, lace dress in the most hideous shade of orange. "That depends, should one be able to breathe?"

"No," Chummy teased.

"Ah, then, it's perfect." Rosie noticed that Peter was practically strangling on laughter. "It's alright. You can laugh. Bloody bridesmaid's dress. They're supposed to be horrendous. That way the bride looks even better by comparison."

"Well then it's lovely," he laughed. "Whatever did you do to your leg?" he asked, then seeing the cross look on Camilla's face, wondered if he ought not have said anything. Maybe it was bad form to mention one's sister-in-law's legs, even if it's only the black bruise showing through her stockings that had caught his attention.

"Blasted beds at the London. I hit the footboard of one while I was there. Hurts like the devil. Scourge of nurses everywhere. Just ask Chummy." It wasn't exactly a lie. She had hit the footboard of a bed and it did hurt, it just hadn't made the bruise. "I best take this off, finish dinner, and get back to Nonnatus house. Asher is picking me up at 6:30 and I can't wait to get to Cornwall. Suze's wedding should be just the best."

After Rosie had shut the door to their bedroom to change, Peter spoke to Chummy. "Camilla, I am sorry if I was out of line. I was only concerned with the bruise, not her legs."

"What? Oh, no, Peter, dear. You weren't out of line. I don't expect you to be blind, just because we are married. It's just I noticed that bruise when I was pinning the dress up and I don't think she's quite telling the truth about how she acquired it. I used to work at that hospital and while the beds are the bloody devil, that bruise didn't come from there," she said, quietly. "It looks quite like fingerprints, but she denies it vehemently. Sister Evangelina has noticed too. She was concerned enough to ask me to her cell to discuss it."

That was serious. "Have you ask her about it?"

"She shut downs at any mention of it and one doesn't want to drive her away," she said.

"I understand that. I am afraid that I did drive Delores away as no one has seen her since our tea a few weeks ago," Peter said. "I hope she turns up at my folks one of these days."

"One supposes we will both just have to wait and see. Though it doesn't make one worry that she is about to take a car trip with him for the next few hours. Good thing Pater will be there,at the wedding," Chummy said sadly. One because she worried about her sister and two, because it bothered her more than she would let on that her Pater could make to the wedding of a daughter or an acquaintance but not to hers. "He won't let anything untoward happen to her on his watch."

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