Well, part 2 of the story doesn't have a happy ending
Took my 3 fosterlings back to the SPCA today, as planned. They were all weighed and, as they hadn't quite reached their target weight, they asked if I could take them all home again for a while - took me all of 1/2 a second to think about it, so I said yes.
I happened to mention that I thought one of the kittens might not be very well - he'd become a bit lethargic and wasn't drinking very much - so I asked...