‘And when does Gordon plan on letting your father know his good intentions? Are you really telling me it’s fear of your old man that’s keeping him away? For God’s sake, lass … can’t you see there’s nothing really stopping him from being open and honest about all this?’

‘Dad …’

‘Your dad would be more likely to believe him if he did the right thing and came here to explain himself, rather than encouraging you to be slipping out of doors and climbing in through windows like a thief in the bloody night! I bet Gordon’s not scaling a damn ladder to get into his home right now, is he? Did he not even wait to see you safely in?’

‘He dropped me at the end of the drive, we didn’t want to risk waking Dad …’

Jack curses under his breath and shakes his head. ‘And what do his parents think about all this running around?’

‘Well … I … I don’t know. That is, we haven’t told them yet, either.’ In the face of Jack’s scepticism, she quickly adds, ‘We can hardly tell them and keep my own father in the dark, can we?’

‘Is that what’s happening, Gwen? Gordon won’t admit it to anyone?’

‘I’m admitting it to you, aren’t I?’

‘Only because I’ve caught you out. Gwen, if he really cares about you the way he says he does then there’s no reason for the two of you to be creeping around behind everyone’s backs like this.’

‘You don’t understand …’

‘Oh, I do understand, all too well.’

‘Oh, you’re just like the rest of them!’ She tries to wrestle the ladder from him, but Jack doggedly maintains his hold, to her growing vexation. ‘You don’t understand … you don’t understand anything at all …’

‘No, you’re right, I don’t understand, because if I was lucky enough to be in his position I’d be so damned proud I’d want everyone to know.’

They fall still, eyes locked over the ladder that hangs between them. Jack takes its full weight as Gwen abruptly relinquishes her hold. She steps back but does not speak. She drops her gaze, self-consciously brushing her hand over her dress. She will not look at him.

‘We’d better get you inside,’ he mutters, lifting the ladder clear of the implements. Unsettled by the change in atmosphere, Kip slinks off to the straw bed in the corner. He circles three times and lies down.

They do not speak as they cross the yard. Jack leads the way with Gwen trailing behind as he moves quietly up the steps to the back of the farmhouse. He hoists the ladder and carefully props it against the render beside Gwen’s casement window which rests ajar.