‘Very well, if that’s what you wish.’

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, and soon Barnaby went back to work in the garden, leaving Amber to wonder at why he’d looked slightly disappointed at her words.

*

Barnaby returned to work the next morning as he was expecting a delivery of wood that his ship would be transporting to France.

‘If anything happens that worries you while I’m gone, lock yourself and Charlotte into the cellar until I get home; they won’t be able to get to you in there if you put the wooden bar across the door,’ he’d told her as he left and seeing the flicker of fear that shone in her eyes for a brief moment, he wished that he didn’t have to leave her.

However, the day passed pleasantly and uneventfully and when Amber heard the sound of his horses’ hooves late that afternoon, she began to butter some of the scones she had just baked. One thing she had learnt about Barnaby since being at the house with him was that he was always hungry.

When he entered the kitchen, he was carrying a box.

‘I, er . . . I hope you don’t mind but I bought Charlotte a present.’ The guilty look on his face reminded her of the ones she had seen on her brothers’ faces when they had done something naughty, and her heart ached as it hit her afresh that she would never see two of them again.

Charlotte was crawling towards him as fast as her little hands and knees would allow her to and when he placed the box down beside her and the child peeped inside it, she began to crow with delight. Curious, Amber inched closer and then she too smiled.

‘Why, it’s a puppy!’

He nodded as he lifted the tiny creature from the box to place it beside his daughter who was clapping her little hands excitedly. ‘Yes, I got the idea when we were staying at your uncle’s and I saw how taken Charlotte was with Fancy. Then today Jimmy told me that Farmer Jennings’ dog had had a litter that he was getting rid of. They’d all been sold when I got there this afternoon, except this one who was the runt of the litter. Between you and me, I think he was intending to drown it, but he still charged me for her, not that I mind if it makes Charlotte happy. You don’t mind, do you? I thought it might make you feel a little safer too, if you had a dog about the place when I was at work.’

‘I don’t mind at all!’ Amber was almost as thrilled with the puppy as Charlotte was. ‘But what breed is it?’