Chapter 44

Summary

• Hazel wakes up in the hospital with her mother at her bedside after being unconscious for three days.
• She is informed that she has pneumonia and is under medical care with an IV attached.
• The environment is filled with hospital sounds, and Hazel is in despair, having experienced intense dreams while unconscious.
• Hazel's sister Flora is missing, and despite the ongoing Blitz, their mother has been searching for her with the help of Constable Davies.
• Hazel vows to find Flora once she recovers, despite her mother's insistence that it is not her fault Flora is gone.
• Hazel refuses to see Harry or Bridie Aberdeen again, feeling guilty about Flora's disappearance.
• Constable Davies believes Flora may have drowned, but Hazel rejects this possibility.
• Search parties look for Flora along the riverbanks and woodlands, but no trace of her is found.
• Hazel and her mother stay in Oxford for two months, actively searching and promoting awareness about Flora's disappearance.
• The Blitz complicates their search efforts, with much of society preoccupied with the ongoing disaster.
• Hazel and her mother's grief takes a toll on them physically and emotionally as they continue to live with constant fear and uncertainty.
• Eventually, Hazel and her mother return to London, despite the risks, where life is more stable.
• Hazel blames herself for Flora's disappearance and feels like a coward for not sharing her suspicions about the Whisperwood story.
• Life continues in a dreary state as they wait in lines for basic necessities and try to settle back into normalcy.
• In 1942, Hazel goes to university in Cambridge, attempting to move on but always burdened by memories and guilt.
• By 1945, Hazel has graduated and works in London, still haunted by her sister's disappearance as WWII comes to an end.