Rosie stopped shaking the bolster into its slip as she heard her father shouting at her. Her stomach churned as she heard him say that Ethan was missing. Ethan might wander, but only after he had finished his jobs, and he would never have missed doing something that was expected of him. She knew instantly something was wrong. She breathed in deeply; she didn’t want her father to see the worry on her face as she walked to the top of the stairs.

‘No, I’ve not seen him, Father. I’ve been helping Mother all morning.’ She leaned over the banister and looked at the anger on her father’s face.

‘That bloody lad, he’s more bother than he’s worth,’ Danny muttered as he made his way back into the kitchen.

Rosie’s legs shook as she made her way back to her parents’ bedroom and the task in hand. She felt sick as she sat on the edge of the bed and looked out of the window at the world outside. Where was Ethan? Was it just a coincidence that he was not to be found this morning, after she had spoken to him the previous day, or had he left knowing that she was carrying his child? He was leaving her, just like his grandfather had left his grandmother all those years ago. She didn’t know what to do, as she sat and shed a tear, thinking of the plight she might be in. Her father would surely not take kindly to the fact that she was pregnant, let alone that it was with the farm boy and that he had abandoned her, alone with her guilt. And then she thought of her mother’s plans being spoilt by her stupidity. Harriet had never stopped talking about reviving her seamstress skills, back in Atkinson’s fold, since Isabelle had visited; and Rosie had seen her mother filled with new life as she counted the days until she re-joined the family firm.

She sighed; her minute of weakness on the grassy bank that sultry evening was going to be her undoing. If Ethan had left her, she would have to face the consequences on her own, but until she was sure, she would say nothing to anybody. She breathed in deeply and controlled her sobs; her mother must not find her like this. She’d check Ethan’s home above the stable and then decide what to do. However, if he had gone, she’d keep her predicament to herself for as long as possible, for it would be for the best.