Blake tried not to fumble as he passed Luke over. Oliver held Luke’s twisted arm away from his own body, grimacing at the grotesque position in which it jutted out. A large bloodied gash covered the top half of the dark-featured face that so clearly resembled his own.

Blake looked at the ground and said in his quiet voice, ‘I would be grateful if you would tell my wife and son I’ll meet them by the lodge at the end of the manor’s carriageway.’

Oliver looked at him coldly, but said, ‘I asked your wife to stay and comfort mine. You are welcome in my house this day, Blake. I daresay in the circumstances my wife will offer no objections.’ Then, softening the harsh lines of his face, he added, ‘Thank you for bringing Luke home.’ Oliver kneed Conomor to walk on. Kane fell in beside him, rubbing tears away with a grimy hand. After a moment’s hesitation, a much surprised Peter Blake followed them.

‘Kane.’

‘Yes, Father?’

‘Has your mother’s instruction that you stay within the manor grounds anything to do with Jack being attacked?’

Kane hung his head, doubly ashamed. ‘Yes, Father, he and Mama were attacked by footpads while out riding.’

Another shock hit the pit of Oliver’s stomach. ‘Your mother was attacked too?’

‘Yes, and the baby was coming and Mama had to crawl through the fields of Trecath-en Farm to get help and Clem Trenchard had to deliver her.’

Oliver looked sharply at Kane. His heart felt as though it had received a tremendous blow.

‘Clem Trenchard…?’

After Luke’s injuries were treated, and pray God he would recover, he and Kerensa had a lot of talking to do.

Luke was laid out on clean sheets on the large oak table in the winter parlour. Dr Crebo set to work aided by the light of scores of candles. From his preliminary examination he was confident Luke’s life was not in danger. He had suffered a mild concussion and although the wound on the head was deep and required several stitches, Dr Crebo announced that most of the scarring would be hidden behind the hairline and that he had been responsible for the recovery of patients with much worse injuries on not such young hard heads. The pronounced bruising on Luke’s face which made the injury look worse than it really was would heal in the course of time but, Dr Crebo said grimly, the condition of the arm and shoulder was much worse.