Thrusting out his arms, Clem said coldly to Oliver, ‘Thank you for your help but I’ll take her now.’

Oliver knew how grudgingly the other man’s gratitude was given. With a sardonic smile he passed his sister to him. ‘Her ankle needs urgent attention.’

‘I’ll see to it.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ Rosie said meekly. ‘I’m very grateful to you.’

‘I am only too glad to have been able to help you, Rosie,’ Oliver said graciously.

Clem moved abruptly and carried Rosie into the farmhouse kitchen. Rosie was angered and ashamed at the rudeness shown to the man who had so kindly come to her rescue. She was pleased when Sir Oliver bent his dark head and followed them through the door, and she dug Clem in the ribs as he scowled.

Kenver Trenchard, who was sitting in a comer of the room writing on a scrap of precious paper given to him by Matthias Renfree, looked up and an expression of shocked surprise swept over his face at the unexpected trio of people.

‘My Lord!’ he addressed Oliver. ‘Good evening to you.’

‘Good evening to you, Kenver,’ Oliver replied, walking further into the spotlessly clean kitchen that smelled pleasantly of roasting mutton.

Kenver waited for an explanation as Clem gently sat Rosie on a chair by a window but no one spoke. He watched his brother fetch a footstool for his sister and carefully place one of her legs upon it. ‘Would someone mind telling me what’s happened, please. Clem?’

The three had brought an uneasy atmosphere into the room and Kenver knew he would be correct in his assumption that Clem was its creator.

‘I had a fall, Ken, sprained my ankle,’ Rosie spoke for herself. ‘Sir Oliver found me and kindly brought me home.’

‘’Tis a good job you did then, sir,’ Kenver said, returning his attention respectfully to Oliver, ‘or the poor maid would still be there now. Clem was about to go and look for her but it’d be a while yet afore he’d have found her. Where did she fall exactly?’

‘I came across her at the bottom of the valley. From the look of things your sister fell almost from the top,’ Oliver replied. ‘She was fortunate not to have sustained a more serious injury than a twisted ankle.’

Kenver went on, ‘I’m sure we’re all very grateful to you, sir. We were getting worried about Rosie being away for so long. She’d gone over to your farm with a message for Matthias Renfree, you see.’

Oliver looked at Clem to see if he looked as grateful as his more likeable, articulate brother. Clem’s face was set sulky, not unexpectedly so, but he said, ‘I’m grateful to you,’ then clamped his mouth shut.