‘What would you have me do? Say, “No, Father. We don’t want you”? How ungrateful would that have sounded, after he’d just said that Crummock would be ours, after his day had passed?’ said Danny. ‘Will you stop your moaning; he’ll be no bother, and in fact he will be a blessing. He’ll be able to give me advice whenever I want it, and you know how much Ben and Rosie love him. I wish he was as fit as he used to be, because I could really have done with his help this morning, looking at this lot to clip and place our mark on.’

‘Well, I’m glad for you, but to me he’s just another mouth to feed. I’ve enough on lately, and it’ll mean I’ll have to get him a room ready.’ Harriet could nearly cry; she’d had enough. Four weeks of sickly children, and the death of Charlotte, had made her spirits low. It was as if nothing was going right, and looking around the yard at more than a hundred and fifty sheep, and all the neighbours who had come to help in the yearly event of clipping, was just about the last straw. She appreciated that everyone was here to help, but they would all want to be fed, and she would be expected to wrap the woollen fleeces up into a ball, ready for the wool merchant from Long Preston to collect later in the year. All of this, with Ben missing, Georgina bawling and Rosie unable to wait a minute longer for her grandfather to arrive, just made Harriet feel like breaking down.

‘Get Rosie to make my father’s bed up and tidy his room – she’s old enough. Ben will turn up when he’s hungry; he will be down at the wash-dubs with his mates. It’s a good day for having a dip in that pool down there.’ Danny looked up at the blue skies and regretted straight away that he’d said Ben might have gone swimming. Harriet would imagine all sorts of calamities.

‘A dip in the wash-dubs – he’ll be to bury! He’s only just got over the measles.’ Harriet stood on the steps that led down into the yard and rubbed her face with her hands. She just didn’t know where to start.

‘Come on, old lass, this isn’t like you. You usually take everything in your stride. My father will be no problem and, if he is, we can always send him back to Isabelle to look after, although he is my responsibility really.’ Danny put his arm around Harriet and felt her sobbing. He kissed her gently on the neck as she trembled.