‘Don’t talk of such things. War will never happen, despite the war in the Balkans, and Germany building up its naval fleet. Prime Minister Asquith is anti-war, and he’ll not let Britain get drawn into anything. You enjoy the training. I’ll settle your father down, and he’ll come round to the idea.’ Isabelle watched as her son left the room. Perhaps James was right, and perhaps Luke should not be training as a soldier; but as Archie had said, it was giving her boy discipline and a purpose in life, and Luke was good at it.

James walked out of Windfell, slamming the door behind him as he put on his jerkin and new motorcycle goggles. He needed to get away from his family, and his new acquisition was calling him – as well as his mistress – as he strode across the pebbled driveway to where it stood.

‘Going for a ride out, sir?’ Jethro looked at his master, dressed in his new attire, and watched as he lovingly rubbed his hands along the handlebars of his motorcycle.

‘I am, Jethro. I thought I’d have a ride down the road and happen up to Ingleton. I’m still getting used to what my machine can do. Isn’t it beautiful?’ James stood back and looked at the Scott motorcycle that he had acquired through the new motorcycle company based in Saltaire. ‘She’s a twin-stroke, you know? I’ve got her to go as fast as thirty miles an hour – it feels like you are flying.’ James smiled at Jethro, who was shaking his head.

‘You’d not get me on the back of one of them. Give me a horse any day. They are a lot less noisy, for a start, and probably more reliable. And I haven’t got a clue what a twin-stroke is, so you’re wasting your breath telling me that.’ Jethro thought nowt of the new machine that was his master’s pride and joy. ‘What do you want to go that fast for, anyway?’ He watched as James put his leg over the motorcycle and beamed as he pulled his goggles down, before kick-starting it into action.

‘Until you’ve done it, Jethro, you don’t know what it feels like. Otherwise, you’d want to do it,’ James shouted above the roar of the engine, urging it into action as Jethro looked on.

Jethro shook his head again as the smell of fumes filled the yard, and he listened as James and the motorcycle made their way out of the drive of Windfell Manor and down the road towards Settle. Give him a horse any day, not a noisy heap of metal. These young folk, with their new ideas, had no respect of the old ways. He shook his head again and made for his beloved horses; at least they showed him respect.