Jethro watched as his son sloped off to the barn to fill the horse hay-racks. He leaned against the stable doorway and looked across at the manor house. It didn’t seem five minutes since he had had the same feelings for Charlotte, who was at that time the new mistress of Windfell. But he’d known better than to show them. Instead, he’d always been there to support her. Commoners and posh folk should never mix, especially when young Jane had pointed out that they were only gypsies. Her grandmother would never have been so cutting and demeaning. There was a new breed shortly to inhabit Windfell, of that he was sure, and Ethan would be better off away from them. The lad had ideas above his station in life, ideas that were going to get him into trouble.

Back at Ingfield House, Isabelle and James stood over Luke’s bed, watching their son sleep.

‘Thank God he’s alright. The doctor says the wound on his head looks worse than it is. There was so much blood.’ James reached for the hand of his fretting wife. ‘He’ll be fine in the morning.’

‘I thought we were going to lose him – he looked so white. I can understand now how Harriet felt when she came home to the news of the twins being dead. Our sons and daughters are the most precious things we will ever have. No wonder she cannot forgive Mama and myself for dragging her in to work that day. Thankfully, in our case Ethan was there to pull him out of the water, otherwise we too would be without our son.’ Isabelle ran her hand over Luke’s brow and smiled as he turned in his sleep. ‘What Ethan was doing down in the river, I don’t quite know. Perhaps tickling one of our finest trout, knowing him. Like father, like son. I’ve seen Jethro down there many a time when I was growing up. Mother and Archie used to turn a blind eye to it. However, I don’t see why we should.’ She walked to the gas light and turned the flame down, before urging James out of the room.

‘The odd fish or two won’t hurt, Isabelle. It matters not that it is not Ethan’s right to fish in that part of the river. We need to keep our staff on our side, and if that’s what it takes to keep Ethan and Jethro happy, and encourages them to get my horse and carriage ready for me first thing in the morning, then I’m satisfied. Besides, he saved your son’s life,’ James whispered as he closed the bedroom door silently behind him.