‘See,’ Kenver said, putting a gentle index finger into his daughter’s grasping fist. ‘You’re beginning to fall under her spell. She’s a charmer.’

‘Unlike her real father,’ Clem returned, as if he had ice between his teeth.

He had arrived home late in the evening – missing Kerensa so much, yet eager to see his family. For the first time, he was seriously pondering why Catherine had been called away from Perranbarvah. Her letters had given no clues. For a short while he had been delighted with the pretty girl-child presented to him as Kenver and Kerris’s, at his homecoming meal. Then the full story had emerged.

‘How could you go with that poor girl?’ he stormed at Philip. ‘She was a child, an innocent and you’ve cost her her life! I don’t s’pose for a moment it entered your head to offer her security and marriage, no matter what the condition of her mind. And how could you leave yourself open like that to blackmail?’

His shouting woke up the baby and she’d cried in fright. Kenver pleaded with Clem to calm down.

Clem ignored him and grabbed Philip by the coat collars. ‘How dare you involve your stepmother in your sordid doings! You must’ve had her worried out of her mind.’

Philip’s build and strength outmatched Clem’s and he pushed back hard. ‘Let me go, Father, or you’ll be sorry.’

‘It’s you who should be sorry. You’re worse than a bleddy he-goat. You’ve got the devil in you. You’re a disgrace!’ The more Clem went on, the more Philip threatened him. After hurrying John and Flora upstairs, Catherine, scared and weeping, begged Clem to stop and let him go.

‘Not until he learns the word honour. From now on—’

‘You can’t order me about!’ Philip snarled, thrusting Clem off him. ‘It’s not you who owns me. You own nothing round here and don’t ever bleddy forget it. I didn’t need you when you was off helping Jessie and I don’t need you now.’ Father and son faced each other like two warring stags, their expressions dark and ugly.

Clem said cuttingly, ‘But you went whining for help to a woman, after probably raping a helpless girl. You’re no sort of man, Philip Trenchard.’

‘And what are you? Living off your wife and your son!’ Catherine and Kerris screamed in unison as Clem swung his hand towards Philip’s face, but Philip moved out of reach with the fleetness of his wrestling expertise and smashed his fist into his father’s jaw. Clem was sent hurtling nearly the length of his sitting room, smacking in to a sideboard and sending the ornaments and other things crashing to the floor.