‘This cannot be.’

‘It can be. It is.’

Clouds gathered and rolled across the sky. ‘There are plenty others for you to choose.’

She squeezed his hand. ‘But I chose you.’

‘But I do not – choose you.’

‘Then why did you agree?’ she asked, snatching her hand from his.

‘I didn’t, Molly, I tried to say but you just—’

‘But why not? What’s wrong with me?’ Her voice was small and high, like a child’s, tears falling from her pretty eyes, and his strength began to fail.

‘Nothing, you’re very sweet. It’s just …’

There was a reason but he could not give it. Though even in his misery at inflicting misery, he pictured a new and different life for himself.

‘Is this why you brought me here for all to see, to parade me?’ Molly asked. ‘So that my humiliation would be witnessed?’

‘No, of course not.’ Daniel looked over at the group of girls at the edge of the green huddled together, whispering. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t think about it.’

Molly’s tears fell more quickly than she could wipe them, but when she turned to him there was a hardness in her eyes that stopped his breath for a moment. ‘I had thought better of you than this. Why did you not have the courage to tell me before, when we were alone? Before I spoke of it to anyone?’

Daniel shook his head. ‘I’m sorry. Courage is a property I lack.’

‘There we agree. I could have my father beat you to mush, you know.’

He watched a ladybird crawl over the bright petals of a buttercup, envied it the simplicity of its life. ‘Then he can join forces with my own.’

Molly wiped her face one last time, shook out her shoulders. ‘Take my arm and walk me home. Keeping away from them.’ She nodded towards her friends. ‘And I shall tell everyone that I changed my mind after all, and no one will ever think otherwise.’

‘All right.’

‘You know, there are plenty waiting to court me, and though none may inherit a farm, all will be more a man than you.’

Daniel took a breath, blocked the sharpness of her words, which he knew came from her pain. And were nothing he had not heard before.

As he walked with her soft arm through his, the smell of hot iron rising from her, it occurred to him that courting Molly would have been easy. He would call at her house, bring flowers tied with ribbon and take her to the fallow meadow. Being with Sarah was like winning the trust of a wild animal. She might turn on him at any moment.

In the doorway Molly unhooked her arm from his. ‘You’ll regret this.’

‘I always regret causing hurt.’

‘That isn’t what I meant.’

She was gone, and so was any strength he’d mustered. Daniel walked, blindly, and found himself at the river.