‘Mm, no,’ he said, putting Sarah to his shoulder and gently rubbing her back until she gave a satisfying belch. ‘I was passing on my way to ’farrier so thought I’d just check up on you both, see what mischief you were up to. I’m just getting this hoss shod, and when I’ve tekken him back to ’farm I’ll be home. Be glad to get indoors; ’weather’s worsening.’

He handed the baby back to her. ‘I’ll be about an hour, but don’t rush to get a meal ready; I’ll have leftovers if it’s easier. Just like Sarah.’

‘Get away with you,’ she said, and walked to the door with him, looking in satisfaction at the cotton nappies blowing in the east wind and thinking she’d bring them in before it began to rain, and then stood watching him as he walked the carthorse away down the track.

But he didn’t come home in an hour as he’d said, and it was another hour after that before she heard his tread and then the scrape of his boots on the iron bar fixed to the wall and the rattle of the latch as he pushed the door open. She did not hear the usual cheery greeting and she paused in what she was doing, sensing that something wasn’t right as he came into the room.

‘It’s Ozzie,’ he said, with a break in his voice. ‘He’s dead. I found him in ’yard when I got back from ’farrier. Cold he was; no chance of saving him. When I hammered on ’door his wife and daughters were all in ’parlour singing hymns, while Ozzie was lying out there on his own. I went to fetch ’doctor but it was too late.’ Tears flooded his eyes. ‘Best man I ever knew,’ he said. ‘Better even than my own da; would allus listen to what anybody had to say.’

He swallowed hard and shook his head. ‘They’ve took it bad,’ he said. ‘All wailin’ and weepin’ and cryin’ what’ll they do now without a man in ’house. It’s not lookin’ good, Ellen. I’ve got a bad feeling about this, as well as being devastated over his going so quick and unexpected. Not good at all.’

CHAPTER TWO

During the following eighteen months, as Harry helped the foreman to run the farm for Mrs Oswald, Ellen gave birth to another daughter whom they named Maria, but everyone called Mary. It had been a good farming year: the dairy cattle had yielded more milk than usual, and they sold the glut to local cheesemakers; they’d traded some of the young bullocks at a profit; and the harvest had been brought in on time and fetched a reasonable price. Although he hadn’t previously had any experience of keeping accounts, Harry had helped Mrs Oswald as much as he could.