Edith

By then blokes were queuing up to make excuses to visit her lab.

"Kill or cure" ultimately happened at what was to become an infamous rugby semi-final. Suspecting a breakthrough was in the offing, Heather suggested Edith might like to try a different man first, purely in the interests of practice. Ede wouldn't hear of it. All this was because of Doug, she insisted, so he was first in line.

'I know it's not logical,' she said yet again. 'But I love him.'

'Don't talk to me about logical,' Heather retorted, chuckling. 'It's Mister Spock you should be in love with, not a simple Earthling.'

Her friend didn't quite get that but it didn't matter; she'd picked her Earthling and, from being oblivious to her charms, he was now threatening to bury her in orchids. When he gave up Saturday in the lab in favour of a ticket on the same supporters' coach . . . and for God-awful rugby at that . . . there could only be one possible outcome.

And it was, of course, cure, not kill. One seven hundred mile coach-trip later and Edith and Doug were as good as spliced. Within a month they were living together (Doug giving up comparatively luxurious student accommodation at the cost of horrendous financial penalties).

Within a year they were wed.