She was helping to prepare vegetables for the dinner when Mr Horrocks came down to the kitchen with a stern face. ‘Mrs Feilden wants everyone upstairs in the morning room,’ he told them.

‘What for?’ asked Cook. ‘I’m just getting this meat on.’

‘She’s talking about something being missing,’ he said. His gaze lighted on Hannah. ‘She wants to know if the staff know anything about it.’

‘What’s missing?’ asked Cook as she closed the oven door on the leg of lamb and wiped her hands on her apron.

‘She seemed to be referring to a book.’

Hannah felt herself blushing bright red although she knew it couldn’t possibly be Ivanhoe because she’d carefully replaced it first thing that morning.

She followed Cook and Mr Horrocks up the back stairs and into the morning room. Mrs Feilden was pacing the room. She’d sent her daughters out and Mr Feilden had gone down to the mill. She paused when they came in and stood in a line in front of her.

‘I’ve been looking for a very valuable book, and it isn’t here,’ she told them. ‘Do any of you know anything about it?’

‘What book is it, Mrs Feilden?’ asked Cook.

‘The Life of Samuel Johnson. My brother was asking me about it and I promised him that he could borrow it. It should be on the shelf, there.’ She pointed. ‘But it’s missing.’

‘I can’t see neither me nor Hannah being interested in summat like that,’ said Cook.

Mrs Feilden froze her with a glance. ‘It isn’t a matter of the content. It’s a matter of the value,’ she told her. ‘Have you had anyone in whilst we were away?’

‘No. Of course not.’ Cook bristled.

‘I’m sure there must be an explanation, Mrs Feilden,’ said Mr Horrocks. ‘I’m sure that Cook is perfectly trustworthy. She’s been with us for a long time.’ His gaze paused on Hannah and she realised what they were all thinking. She was new. She hadn’t proved her trustworthiness. And she was the one who dusted the rooms and set the fires. But surely they didn’t suspect her of stealing the book?

‘It must be found,’ insisted Mrs Feilden.

‘And I’m sure it will be.’ Mr Horrocks’s attempts to placate her weren’t meeting with much success, thought Hannah as she watched Mrs Feilden begin to pace the room again.

‘We will search for it,’ she announced. ‘Everywhere! Until it is found!’

‘It may well be in Mr Feilden’s study,’ reasoned Mr Horrocks.

‘No. I’ve looked. It isn’t there.’

‘Then perhaps the drawing room. Will you permit me to take a look?’

‘It isn’t there. Cook, you must search the kitchens. And Mr Horrocks, you must search the bedrooms.’

Their faces turned towards Hannah and she knew now that she really was under suspicion.

‘I haven’t taken it,’ she said, knowing that she looked guilty even though she wasn’t.

‘Then you won’t have any objection to us looking in your room,’ said Mrs Feilden. ‘Come!’ she instructed as she went out of the morning room towards the back stairs. ‘I won’t rest until every inch of this house has been searched.’