Once at the top she stopped to catch her breath, glancing first one way then another. There was no one in sight, so still being watchful she hurried back to the house.

The second she entered the kitchen she knew that someone had been in there because the two freshly baked loaves she had left on racks to cool were missing. Her heart started to pound as she gently placed Charlotte on the floor and lifted the poker from the hearth.

‘I-is anyone here?’ she shouted nervously, but only silence greeted her.

Carefully she went from room to room wielding the poker in case she should come upon the intruder. Her search proved fruitless and she sighed with relief as she realised that whoever had been there had gone. Thankfully there was no damage done either so she supposed they had been lucky, although for the rest of the day her nerves were so taut that she jumped at every shadow.

It was almost seven o’clock that evening before Amber heard the welcome sound of Barnaby’s horses’ hooves in the stable yard and she was so relieved that he was home that she hovered in the kitchen doorway waiting for him to come across the stable yard.

‘Oh, I don’t usually get a greeting like this,’ he said with a wide smile and a twinkle in his eye.

‘Someone was in the house while I was down on the beach with Charlotte this afternoon,’ she gushed. ‘And whoever it was took the two loaves I’d baked this morning.’

‘I see. And did they take anything else that you know of?’

She shook her head but he could see it had shaken her. ‘No, I don’t think so. I went from room to room to check there was no one still in there but they must have scarpered soon as they took the food.’

‘In that case it was probably just a passing tramp who took advantage of the fact that you weren’t about.’

Feeling calmer now that he was there and also slightly foolish, she nodded. ‘Yes, you’re probably right. And I suppose it was my fault for leaving the door open. But it was so stifling and we so rarely see anyone up here that I thought it would be safe to.’

He followed her inside asking, ‘Has Charlotte gone to bed already?’

‘I’m afraid so. She wore ’erself out down on the beach an’ she was grumpy so I had to let her go early.’

‘It’s all right. But I am starving.’

She hurried to fetch him his meal, which she had been keeping warm over a pan of water on the top of the range, and they chatted about his day while he ate.