‘That is good news,’ Toby answered. ‘We are burying Ma and Pa tomorrow.’ He raised his voice to include Paddy in the conversation. ‘I’ve found a priest who will consecrate a piece of ground at home. They will be buried on O’Rourke land, Paddy. I thought up on the ridge where we’ve already cleared. They liked walking up there. What do you think, Pad?’

His brother looked at him and nodded. Toby turned to the doctor.

‘Why won’t he answer me? Have you given him something for the pain that stops him from talking?’

Doctor Collier removed his spectacles and polished them on the tail of his shirt. He took his time, and Toby felt his spirits slide as he realised the doctor was gathering the right words for some bad news.

‘He hasn’t spoken a word since he regained his senses,’ the doctor said, placing his glasses on his nose and hooking the frames over his ears. ‘Oh, he’s tried, but each time he opens his mouth to say something he clutches at the side of his head as if in great pain. That blow to the skull has unsettled something in your brother’s brain – or his mind – something associated with the power of speech.’

Toby felt his chest constrict and shuffled uneasily on his feet. ‘Will he get better?’

The doctor shook his head doubtfully. ‘I can’t say. The human brain is a strange organ. Science has only just begun to delve its mysteries. Whatever agony is preventing your brother from speaking may heal over time, or—’ his voice trailed off.

‘Or he may be mute for the rest of his life,’ Toby finished for him, his voice barely a whisper.

‘Young man, he is very lucky to be alive. That blow to the head might have killed him. He is able to function in all other respects. The fact that his power of speech is gone, or inhibited, is a small price to pay considering the circumstances.’

Toby realised the doctor was right. Paddy had been near death when he’d brought him into town. He was lucky to be alive, and Toby was lucky to have him. Paddy was the only person he had left in the world now.

‘Will he be well enough to attend the service tomorrow?’

‘Of course,’ the doctor said. ‘Just don’t leave him standing for too long. And watch his head. That area will be very susceptible to injury until the bone knits. If he were to fall and knock it, well . . .’

‘We’ll be careful, won’t we, Pad?’

Paddy looked up and nodded.

‘I’ll be back to fetch you first thing in the morning, matey.’

Paddy smiled at his brother. The silence grated at Toby and he hurried from the tent to where his horse, Moonlight, was tethered to a tree. He stood for several minutes, stroking the animal’s neck and staring off into the distance as he contemplated how much his life had changed in just a few days.