The second egg landed on Amber’s arm and now Charlotte started to cry. Cheeks blazing, Amber moved on, painfully aware that everyone in the square was watching her closely. She had never felt so humiliated in her life but she was also aware that if she responded it could only make things worse and she didn’t want to upset Charlotte any more than she already was. It was another half an hour by the time she’d bought everything on her list and was able to begin the hard trek back up the hill. It was only then that she allowed the tears of humiliation to fall, but strangely her anger was directed at Barnaby more than Mrs Preston. If he had kept his hands to himself none of this would ever have happened and once again her resentment of him flared. But then, a little voice whispered, ‘It wasn’t entirely his fault, you didn’t exactly try to stop him – quite the opposite.’

She had almost reached the top of the hill when she heard hoofbeats coming up behind her and turning about she saw Barnaby. She was red in the face and panting with the exertion of pulling the heavy load by then and without saying a word he leapt from the saddle, handed her the horse’s reins and proceeded to pull the cart the rest of the way up the hill. With no other choice, she followed slowly behind him.

It was only when they reached the top that he noticed the stains on her blouse and her tear-stained face and his eyebrows creased into a frown as he asked, ‘What’s happened?’

‘The townsfolk have put two an’ two together an’ realised that Charlotte is my girl,’ she told him coldly. ‘An’ now they think I’m your fancy piece an’ that you an’ I are livin’ in sin!’

‘Oh, Amber . . . I’m so sorry.’ He looked genuinely distressed but Amber was too angry to care how he felt.

‘Well, it was only goin’ to be a matter o’ time afore the truth came out, weren’t it?’ She reached out to take the cart back again but he shook his head and before she could stop him, he lifted her as if she weighed no more than a feather and swung her up onto his saddle.

‘You rest and walk alongside me. I’ll take this the rest of the way.’ And without giving her time to object he set off at a brisk trot as if the heavy cart weighed nothing.

The rest of the journey was made in silence and when they arrived back at The Crow’s Nest, he gently took Charlotte into the house and laid her on the sofa before beginning to carry the shopping in.