Danny gave a cry of terror and let go of the root. His feet slipped, and before he knew what was happening he was plummeting down the rock face. He tried to grab at anything at all to break his fall, but he was going too fast.

As he hit the unforgiving ground of the valley floor the breath was knocked out of him – and he knew no more.

*

Hugh’s vision blurred. The pain was a vice in his chest now, and he was fighting to breathe. He couldn’t seem to keep the utility in a straight line – and when the tree loomed in front of him, he used the last of his strength and wits to swerve away from it and stamp on the brake.

As the agony ripped through him and his heartbeat thundered in his ears he was dimly aware that the engine had stalled and that someone was calling his name. But he couldn’t see – couldn’t speak – for he was enveloped in a world of darkness and pain.

Millicent had been keeping a wary eye on him ever since they’d set out again. Despite Hugh’s assurances to the contrary, she’d known something hadn’t been right and had braced herself for whatever might come. So, when Hugh had narrowly missed that tree and swerved to a skidding halt, she’d been prepared. She’d clutched the baby to her chest with one hand and clung to the door with the other, her feet pressed resolutely against the floor.

But her heart was racing in fear as Hugh slumped over the steering wheel, making the horn sound. She held her baby close and squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to muster some sort of calm. She had to be strong – had to think clearly – and she couldn’t do that if she let fear overwhelm her.

The continuous blare of the horn finally brought her to her senses, and she tenderly wrapped her newborn son in her cardigan and laid him at her feet. Then she yanked on the handbrake and eased Hugh back from the steering wheel. The sudden silence was deafening.

His face was grey but for the blue tinge around his lips. The only sign of life was the rapid pulse beating in his neck. ‘Can you hear me, Hugh?’ she asked tentatively.

He gave a sort of groan and his lids fluttered to reveal the whites of his eyes.

Millicent knew a heart attack when she saw one – her father had gone the same way – and she also knew she needed to get Hugh to the hospital as quickly as possible if he was to have any chance of pulling through.