His mind bustled with questions that could not be asked, just as Father did not question why he was at the home of those they considered villains or worse, nor why he turned the crowd away. Silence stretched, broken only by the faint lowing of oxen.

‘Always work to be done,’ Father said. ‘You know.’

Daniel nodded. The space between them taut and empty.

The sound of heavy steps on the yard outside had them both looking at the door before Gabriel strode in, cheeks flushed, eyes alight, his happy fever causing disquiet to trickle under Daniel’s skin. Gabriel stopped, expression corroding at the unfamiliar sight of father and son drinking together. He looked at Daniel and whistled through his teeth.

‘Haven’t you gone and made a heap of trouble?’ he said. ‘Runt finally finds his backbone and makes a bigger mess than my little sister mixing water in the gutter.’

‘Should think you’re about ready to head home, aren’t you, Gabriel? You take such care of your poor mam, she’ll be wanting—’ Father said.

‘What mess?’ Daniel’s voice strident, overriding Father’s.

Gabriel grabbed a chair, scraping it over the floor, sat with legs apart. ‘Magistrate. Only playing at hot cockles with that girl maid of his.’

Father shifted, leaned back in his chair, stretched out a leg and brought it back in again. ‘Can’t be right – she’s just a lass, isn’t she?’

‘Bonny lass, though,’ Gabriel said. ‘Have you seen her? I wouldn’t—’

Father slammed a fist on the table. His voice was dangerously quiet when he spoke and blood began to trickle from his nose. ‘Enough. You will not sit at my table in my house and talk about a young lassie like that. Understood?’

Gabriel flushed and nodded, only daring to smirk when Father lifted the tankard to drink.

‘Is – is she all right, the maid?’ Daniel asked. He should have stopped, could have taken her to safety.

‘All right for now, but we’ll only know for sure when we see if there’s a babby or not come winter.’

‘He’s to wed her if there is,’ Father said. ‘’Tis the only right course. And I hope you lads would never get a lassie into trouble, but I know you’d step up as men if you did.’ He looked pointedly from Daniel to Gabriel.

Daniel rested his head in his hands, fingers brushing the graze above his eye, pain flaring. Good. He deserved it. Phyllis was fourteen and would be shamed and shunned if she were carrying the magistrate’s child. Her tearful gaze would haunt Daniel’s nights, and no less than he deserved.