‘I can’t. How do I do that?’ Danny looked at the hurt in his wife’s eyes. Their marriage had been tempestuous, but now he knew why, for Harriet had always known about his love for Amy and had kept it her secret. A secret that had eaten away at her, every year she had been married to him. Every time life’s trials went against them, she had questioned his love for her and it had gnawed away inside her.

Isabelle put her hand on Danny’s arm. ‘I’ll distract Jane. It is best if Daniel gets to know that his secret is out. Take him into the drawing room and speak to him, find out what he is about. Although it sounded to me as if he just aims to farm Ragged Hall and is not here to cause trouble.’ Isabelle looked at her brother and sister-in-law. Her perfect evening had been spoilt, but that was of little consequence compared to what Harriet and Danny were going through. She stepped through the crowds, passing Ethan and Rosie lost in one another’s arms on the dance floor. Both stopped in their tracks as they watched Danny and Harriet following Isabelle over to where Jane and her admirer stood.

‘Looks like Jane is in more trouble than we are.’ Ethan smiled as Rosie watched her parents looking distressed, while following her aunt.

‘No, something is wrong – my mother’s nearly in tears.’ Rosie let go of Ethan’s arms and walked to her parents’ side.

‘Go back to Ethan, Rosie.’ Danny glanced round at his daughter as Harriet stepped in front of Isabelle, intent on getting to Jane and Daniel first.

‘No, let her stay, she should hear this. In fact everyone should hear this; it is yet another dirty secret that has made itself known tonight,’ yelled Harriet, making everyone around her fall quiet as she strode up to Daniel and Jane. ‘Yes, yet another scandal – more for you all to talk about.’

Everyone looked at Harriet acting so strangely.

‘My daughter is courting a stable lad, and now my husband has another son in our midst. Is that not right, Daniel? For is my husband and the father of my children not your father, too?’ Harriet stood in front of Daniel Bland and the startled Jane, as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Daniel put his head down and looked at the faces of the revellers. The band had stopped playing and all eyes were on him and Jane, and the Atkinson family.

‘I believe so. That is what my mother has always told me, since I was young.’ Daniel looked at his father. ‘Although I had no intention of making my parentage so public. I didn’t come here to make trouble, just to see the family that my mother had talked about for as long as I can remember.’