‘I walked around the garden with Lord Robert. He said I could stay, sure and I did. There’re plenty of male servants’ rooms. But why are ye questioning me like this?’

She was silent, glared at him, her animosity apparent.

Patrick exclaimed, ‘You’ve come here in an angry mood, flinging questions at Blackie, and it makes no sense. Are you accusing my nephew of something? Something bad?’

Sarah shook her head, and said, ‘I had to be sure Angela wasn’t lying about something that happened to her, to protect him, because she cares about him. Now I believe she was telling me the truth.’

Unexpectedly Sarah burst into a flood of tears, searching her coat pocket for a handkerchief.

The two men exchanged glances, and Patrick said in a soothing, rather sympathetic voice, ‘What is wrong, Sarah dear? How can we help you?’

Eventually taking control of herself, she replied, ‘There’s nothing you can do right now. But thank you.’

‘Tell me, what is this about? Ye owe me that,’ Blackie exclaimed, his black eyes intent on her.

Sarah glanced at him, and nodded. ‘It’s true, I do owe you. I went to Angela’s house in the afternoon. I told you I had to work on Saturday morning. She didn’t open the door, so I found my key in my bag and went inside. I was terrified when I found Angela on the sitting-room floor. She was unconscious, and there was blood everywhere. She had been beaten, she was bleeding and her face was a mess.’ Tears started again, and Patrick endeavoured to calm her.

Blackie cried, ‘I can’t believe ye think I would hurt a woman!’ He was again suddenly angry, and had to take hold of his flaring emotions.

‘Finish this story, please, Sarah,’ Patrick murmured in a kind and encouraging voice.

Taking several deep breaths, Sarah nodded. ‘I got an ambulance and she was taken to Harrogate Hospital. I stayed with her all Saturday and Sunday. She did eventually regain consciousness. She was able to talk to me. When I asked her who had done this to her, she said it was Barry Simmonds, a man she went to dinner with a few times last year. She broke off with him, and he left Harrogate …’

There was a pause, and she added, ‘But he came back. Obviously.’

‘And yet ye didn’t believe her,’ Blackie said in a harsh voice, his glance reproachful.

‘I just thought she was protecting you because Barry had gone to London. To a new job …’ Sarah did not finish her sentence, looked somewhat woebegone, and a little guilty.

Patrick, always the peacemaker, gave Sarah an encouraging look. ‘How is Angela now? How long did you stay with her?’

‘I left the hospital around twelve o’clock today, got back to Leeds and came home.’ Tears began to trickle down her cheeks, and she was unable to speak.