‘Your mistress is no longer with us. If you can tell the staff, it will give a little ease to the family,’ Dr Burrows said as he stood in the doorway. ‘She’s gone and taken the sunshine with her, by the look of this worsening day. It looks like thunder rolling across those back fells. I’d better get myself home.’

Both butler and doctor looked up to the darkening fells over Malham and listened as a distant rumble of thunder made itself heard.

‘She always was too bright to last long, just like the day.’ Dr Burrows tapped his hat and stepped out with his cane, then walked down the drive of Windfell Manor, with the storm winds starting to blow their way through the beech trees.

‘I’m sorry to say that Mistress Charlotte has died. I’ve just seen the doctor out of the manor,’ said Thomson to the staff as they gathered, looking sombre, around the table in the kitchen.

Lily, Charlotte’s maid, sobbed. ‘She was such a lovely woman. She never lost her temper, and I remember when she first came here – both me and her were not used to the finer things in life, so we learned our roles together.’

‘Aye, and she gave me a chance, when I was nothing more than a filthy-mouthed nothing who couldn’t stop swearing. I didn’t deserve the chance she gave me,’ sobbed Mazy. ‘I’ll have to go and tell Jethro. Ruby, when you’ve done sobbing, put some tea on for the family; they’ll need a drink, if nothing else. Master Archie hasn’t eaten all day.’ Mazy made for the back door and ran across the yard to the stables, gazing up at the rain-filled skies.

Jethro and Ethan saw her coming and met her in the stable doorway.

‘She’s gone, hasn’t she? I saw the doctor leaving.’ Jethro looked as black as the clouds that were scuttling overhead.

‘Aye, she’s gone, bless her soul. We are all in tears in the house.’ Mazy put her arm around her husband, for she knew how much Charlotte had meant to him.

All of them raised their heads as a huge crack of thunder broke directly over the house.

‘That’s Charlotte and God arranging the furniture in heaven,’ joked Mazy as she looked upwards, with tears in her eyes.

‘Then he’ll have to bloody well behave himself, because little does he know it yet, but Charlotte will have her own way and will be running the show by nightfall.’ Jethro sniffed hard and fought back the tears.

‘Aye, that she will. At least Master Archie will get a bit of peace now, for she did lead him a dance some days, but he must be broken-hearted.’ Mazy hugged their son Ethan and rubbed his dark head of curls.