She paused, looking at the house, the hen pens and stretches of wilted vegetables. Still no one, except Mrs Taylor bent over the stove, her back to the door. Rose ran to the stallion’s pen, slipped under the rails. She patted his neck, holding a johnny cake for him, waiting impatiently as he ate it. ‘Please,’ she whispered to him. ‘Please do this, then we can both be free.’ She hauled herself up and onto his back, as she had done every night now since they returned.

And he let her, not just because she fed him cakes and damper crusts. They understood each other, the horse and her.

Escape. This horse wanted that as well.

She had not dared open the pen before she was on his back though, in case he galloped off without her. He stepped towards the closed gate. She leaned awkwardly, unhooked the first rail, bent even lower and heaved away the second. Which still left three.

‘Rose! What are you doing? The horse is dangerous!’

Mr Clancy. He should be over at the sheep pens in the lower paddock. Had he come looking for mistress? She had seen that he was worried about Mistress Flora, just as she had seen that Boss Father Mr Clancy was impatient with Flora, angry at her. Contemptuous, yes, that was the word.

If Mr Clancy tried to grab the stallion, the horse might hurt him. She did not want to hurt Mr Clancy. He was the closest to a real person here, for he saw the land a little, heard a little, loved it even if he did not understand it.

If Mr Clancy put the fourth rung of the gate back, she could not escape. If he yelled again, others would come and catch her.

She met Mr Clancy’s eyes. She had not done that before. A young woman did not look straight at a man. And in this house, a servant did not look their master in the face, but kept their eyes down.

But now she looked at him, saw him reach for one of the lengths of wood she had removed, then hesitate. ‘Rose, that’s dangerous,’ he repeated, but more quietly.

Was he concerned for her, or for his property (which was a strange concept but one she thought she finally understood)? People, land, animals that belonged solely to one person. She looked at Mr Clancy as he watched his servant on his horse. Then slowly, quietly, he put down the post, then pulled the next one free.

Two rungs now. Could she stay on the horse if he jumped them?