Again Archie hesitated but only for a moment. ‘Mr Harding’s house is named “Marine View”. It’s in Royal Albert Road.’ He proceeded to give Barnaby yet more directions and soon after Barnaby found himself making his way through a labyrinth of little cobbled streets. He could hear the sound of the waves breaking on the beach close by and above him the seagulls mewed and dipped and dived to pick amongst the cobblestones for a juicy worm or any other small particles of food they might find.

It wasn’t long before he turned into Royal Albert Drive and found the house. It was not on the scale of Greenacres but it was a fine-looking house all the same and he thought how Amber must have enjoyed staying there after the cramped little cottage in Argument’s Yard where she had been brought up. After taking a deep breath he climbed up the steps and rapped on the door with the heavy brass knocker and seconds later he heard the tap tap tap of footsteps beyond coming closer.

‘Yes’m, sir?’

He found himself staring into the face of a maid whose mop cap was all askew, but before he could tell her why he was there an older woman in a staid dove-grey gown came up behind her and told the girl kindly, ‘Go and start slicing the bread for lunch, Biddy, I’ll see to this.’ She turned to Barnaby and asked politely, ‘May I help you, sir?’

He swallowed so hard that his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down before he nodded and said hastily, ‘Er . . . yes, ma’am, I’m hoping you can. I’ve come to see Miss Amber Ainsley.’

‘Oh!’ To say that she looked surprised would have been putting it mildly. No one had visited Amber in all the months she had been there and this gentleman certainly didn’t look like the type a girl from Amber’s background would normally mix with.

‘Please come in.’ She opened the door to allow him to enter the hall and he saw that although it was quite sparsely furnished, it was spick and span. ‘If you would tell me who is calling, I’ll just inform her you are here,’ she told him as he removed his hat.

He shook his head. ‘Oh no, please, I’ve come all the way from Whitby and I’d like to surprise her.’

The woman’s small white teeth bit down on her lower lip. It didn’t seem right to allow a gentleman and a young unmarried girl to be alone without a chaperone, but then the young girl in question was expecting a child so she supposed there could be no harm done.

‘Very well,’ she agreed uncertainly, although she still wasn’t at all happy about the situation. ‘I believe Amber is in the drawing room.’

‘And her uncle?’

Mrs Carter raised an eyebrow. ‘Why, he is at work of course.’