‘You’ll get a fever in this wet cloak,’ he said, lifting it up at her shoulders. ‘Take it off and I’ll find something to wrap round you.’

Cold and wet through, Kerensa’s numb fingers were barely capable of removing the cloak and Clem did it for her. He smiled, the same boyish grin that she knew from long years ago, and Kerensa smiled back.

‘This should help,’ he said, engulfing her in a grey blanket he took from the back of a settle. ‘Now tell me, my love, what’s upset you so much?’

This was the moment he had prayed for, the time when she would turn to him. Now he could comfort her, hold her, show her his love was as strong as the moment he had first declared it. He would not let her down.

She sat on a rickety chair beside the empty hearth and wiped at her tear-streaked face with the back of a hand. ‘Coming through the town a sailor suddenly appeared in front of me. Oh, Clem, it was Kane’s father, his real father!’ A fresh sob caught in her throat and she buried her face in her hands.

Crouching in front of her and clasping her hands in his, he asked, angry in her defence, ‘What did he do? Did he hurt you?’

‘He didn’t hurt me but he insulted me with his filthy remarks,’ she replied angrily, gazing into his summer-blue eyes. ‘And he stole a bag of yeast buns I’d bought.’ That sounded rather ludicrous after all she had been through and she laughed.

‘That’s better,’ Clem said. ‘I hope the greedy swine chokes on them. Did he threaten you?’

‘Not me personally, Clem, but he threatened to kidnap Kane and take him away to sea!’ And she got panicky again.

‘It’s all right, my love, you’re quite safe with me. I’d go after him but I don’t want to leave you alone.’

‘No, Clem, no. Don’t leave me, right now I can’t think of anyone I would rather be with more than you.’

‘Even him?’

Kerensa knew whom Clem meant. ‘Especially Oliver. In his present state of mind he would probably kill the sailor and be hanged for it.’

‘I could easily do that myself. Let’s leave the subject of the sailor for a minute. There’s much more than him upsetting you, isn’t there? What’s going on, Kerensa?’ Clem’s handsome fair features were creased in concern for her. ‘I’d have to be dead not to notice there was something wrong between you and him at Ted’s wedding yesterday. I detest your husband, you know that, but you love him and I don’t want you to be unhappy. Tell me what’s wrong, my love, I may be able to help.’