‘Let’s give it just one more try, Mester,’ Danny urged. ‘Then I’ll go for the vet.’

‘Me mam’ll go mad!’ Kate muttered, grasping the rope and pulling with every ounce of her strength.

‘Come – on!’ she heard Danny gasp and echoed his entreaty in her mind.

Suddenly there was a loud sucking sound and the calf slithered out on to the mound of straw beneath the cow’s hind legs. The man and the two youngsters, still pulling hard, fell back together in a heap. They disentangled themselves and sat up. In front of them was the newborn calf lying in the straw. Samphire, her cries of pain stilled, looked round in surprise as if to say, ‘Where did that come from?’

Kate laughed aloud and scrambled on all-fours to where the wriggling creature lay. She picked up handfuls of straw and wiped the calf.

‘Oh, he’s lovely. Look, Dad, he’s . . .’

At that moment the door of the barn was flung open and her mother stood there. ‘What on earth . . .?’ began Esther Godfrey. Her glance rested briefly on Danny and her mouth tightened noticeably, but she directed her anger at her daughter.

‘Kate! I thought I told you to go to bed. How many times do I have to tell you . . .?’

‘Esther,’ Jonathan’s deep voice interrupted in gentle reproach. ‘The youngsters have been helping me. I couldn’t have managed without them.’

Kate saw her mother open her mouth but at that moment she saw the calf struggling to its feet, and whatever sharp retort she had been about to make was stilled. Then once more her gaze came to rest upon Danny’s head, bowed over the plough line he was looping into a neat coil.

‘Thank you for your help, Danny.’ Her mother’s tone was stiff and unfriendly and as Danny’s head jerked up, Kate saw that there was puzzlement in his dark brown eyes and a red flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck.

Handing the coiled line to Jonathan Godfrey, he nodded briefly to Kate and went towards the door.

Once more Jonathan’s deep voice prompted gently, ‘Esther, the lad saved the calf and probably your cow as well.’

Esther seemed to be struggling with some inner conflict, but as Danny passed by her, she reached out her hand, touched his shoulder briefly and said, ‘I am grateful, Danny, really.’

The boy hesitated and, for a moment, stared up at her. Then with a muttered ‘Missus’, he moved on out of the doorway.

As they heard his boots crunching across the cinders in the yard, Esther’s attention came back to Kate. ‘I don’t want you to see so much of Danny from now on, Kate. He’s growing up and come Monday he’ll think of himself as a working man. He’s no longer a boy.’