‘Oh, Barnaby, what are we goin’ to do? This is all my fault,’ she cried as she held his hand through the metal bars of the cage. ‘If I hadn’t gone out that night an’ you hadn’t heard me scream . . .’

‘Stop it.’ He gave her hand a little shake. ‘It wasn’t your fault that Preston attacked you, and you have tried to help me.’

‘But they won’t believe me,’ she whimpered.

He sighed before saying, ‘Listen, I want you to go home and forget all about me. I’ve brought you nothing but trouble, but at least you and Charlotte will be set up financially for life. You’ll never know how relieved that makes me feel. And don’t be frightened, Preston can’t hurt you anymore and you have the Jennings and Jimmy to help you.’ His face softened then as he told her gently, ‘But before you do go, there’s one more thing I need to tell you. I love you, Amber. I didn’t know what true love was when I was with Louisa so I want you to know that I’d rather have had the short time I’ve spent with you and our daughter than a lifetime with anyone else.’

‘Oh!’ Her eyes were so full of tears that his face was swimming in front of her. ‘I love you too . . . so much. I don’t know how I can go on without you.’ And it shocked her afresh to realise that she meant every word she said. Somehow this man, who she had once thought she hated, had crept into her heart again and now she couldn’t envisage life without him.

‘Go now,’ he said in a shaky voice. ‘And promise me that you won’t try to come when they . . . you know? I want you to remember me as I am now. Will you do that last thing for me, my love?’

She nodded numbly, unable to speak, then turned and stumbled blindly back up the steps.

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Four

Two days later, Mrs Jennings informed her tentatively, ‘I heard that they’re movin’ Barnaby to Pickering tomorrow, lass, an’ that he’s before the judge the followin’ day . . . I thought I should tell you.’

Amber clutched the edge of the sink where she was peeling potatoes and nodded. Through the window she could see Charlotte and Socks playing amongst the trees in the orchard and everything was just going on as any other day, and yet nothing was the same. The house felt empty without Barnaby’s presence and she missed having him to talk to. Time and again she had been tempted to go into town and beg the sergeant to let her see him just one more time, but she didn’t want to break the promise she had made to him and so, somehow, she had managed to stop herself.