She had her special tight-lipped expression on her face which Rosie had come to know always meant trouble.Rosie was still puzzling over the unexpected sour note the day before had ended on. She hoped Matron’s appearance now wasn’t connected.Mr Cook had got Donald and Rosie back to Carrington Hall at around eight-thirty. She said goodbye to them in the hall, leaving Mr Cook to hand over his son to Matron and to explain how he got the cut on his forehead, and went straight off to find Linda, Mary and Maureen to share out the cake and tell them all her news.All three girls were in the downstairs staff sitting-room listening to the wireless, the small room thick with cigarette smoke. Rosie was so excited that she didn’t notice the other girls’ coolness towards her immediately. She sat down in a spare chair and rattled out the tale about Donald getting lost. It was only when none of the girls laughed or asked any questions that she realized something was badly wrong.‘What’s the matter?’ she asked, looking from one to the other, suddenly chilled.
