‘I . . . I’m worried Ethan. I think I might be having your baby.’ Rosie felt her eyes filling with tears and she started to sob. She’d practised saying the words over and over again in her head as she tossed and turned in her bed, wondering what to do and how to tell Ethan of her predicament.

‘Stop it! Stop blubbing and keep your voice down. Else those Irishmen will hear and tell your father, and you don’t want him to know. Besides, you can’t be – we’ve only done it once and I was careful. That is, unless you’ve been with someone else.’ Ethan looked at Rosie in the flickering yellow candlelight and saw how upset she was. He knew she wouldn’t have been with anyone else, but didn’t want to admit it.

‘How could you say that? I’d never lift my skirts to someone else. Didn’t I tell you that I loved you? But I’ve hardly seen anything of you these last few weeks; it’s as if you have kept out of my way.’ Rosie sobbed. She’d thought Ethan would tell her that he loved her and that everything would be alright. Instead he was lying there, accusing her of being unfaithful, and his dark eyes looked straight through her.

‘I’ve been busy helping your father with the hay, and I thought it couldn’t be mine. Anyway, you might be wrong. It’s only a few weeks since we were down at the wash-dubs. How do you know already?’

‘Do I have to say? I don’t like talking about suchlike. But you should know – you are not daft. We both know what goes on.’ Rosie caught her breath and trembled as she tried to control her sobs.

‘Give it another week. You may be wrong. And it’ll give me time to think. We can’t do owt yet. But I know one thing: we are both going to get the hidings of our lives, if you are having a baby.’ Ethan ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Rosie in the candlelight. He wished he’d behaved himself that warm afternoon; he’d no intention of being cornered by the farmer’s daughter, not yet. There was too much of the world to see before he did that.

‘I won’t be wrong. I’m never late, if you know what I mean,’ mumbled Rosie as she wrung her hands, not daring to look into Ethan’s face. She sobbed and wished Ethan would show more concern.