‘I know you’re probably quite right,’ he told his mother-in-law wearily. ‘But David’s passing is still very raw and I feel better when I’m with her.’

‘Hmph! She’ll be ruined rotten at this rate!’ The woman tossed her head and bounced out of the room and as they heard her clattering down the wooden staircase that led from the nursery, Barnaby seemed to relax a little, although both Amber and Becky suddenly felt as if they were in the way.

‘I’m sorry if I’m breaking her routine.’ His voice was so full of pain that even Amber almost felt sorry for him for a moment.

‘It’s all right. She ain’t due to go down fer her nap fer another half hour or so.’ It was Becky who answered him while Amber busied herself putting the baby’s freshly laundered clothes away. She only ever spoke to Barnaby when she had to and he was getting used to it now.

He stayed for another ten minutes then with a sigh he handed Charlotte back to Amber. saying, ‘I suppose I’d better get downstairs to the visitors.’

She inclined her head and as he left the room Charlotte began to wail. She always did when her father left her and it disturbed Amber. She’d hoped that very soon Charlotte would be closer to her than Barnaby but it was crystal clear that the little girl adored him, and more surprisingly still, that he adored her.

‘Shush then,’ she soothed, rocking the baby to and fro. ‘He’ll be back before you know it.’

Charlotte stared up at her from eyes that were the exact same colour as her own and after jamming her thumb in her mouth her eyelids began to droop and she finally slept.

‘Right, while she’s havin’ a nap, let’s get this crib out of ’ere an’ into the next room,’ Becky suggested, pointing at David’s cot. ‘I can see it upsets the master every time he comes in an’ I can’t say as it makes me feel very nice either. I think of ’im every time I look at it, the poor little mite. We should sort all his clothes out an’ all, an’ ask the master what he wants done wi’ ’em. There’s plenty down in the town who’d be grateful for ’em.’

Amber nodded in agreement and so, after tucking Charlotte into her crib, they set about manhandling the other one into the next room and sorting David’s clothes into a pile.