‘Steady on? Steady on, you say?’ Esther leaned on the kitchen table, her palms flat down on the scrubbed surface, her green eyes flashing fire, but there was a stillness about her body that was ominous. ‘You will never, never marry Danny Eland.’

‘I will. You can’t stop me.’

‘Oh yes I can, my girl.’ Her mother’s voice was quiet now, but that very quietness was more menacing than the screaming.

‘Esther . . .’ came Jonathan’s deep voice, but now the two women – mother and daughter – were locked in their private battle of wills and scarcely heard him.

Esther moved suddenly and swiftly towards the door. ‘I’ll put a stop to this once and for all.’

‘Esther – no! You can’t. You mustn’t!’

She whirled to face her husband. ‘Keep out of this, Jonathan. It’s nowt to do wi’ you.’

She could not have hurt him more if she had slapped him physically. Kate saw her stepfather wince, but his voice was calm as he rose from his chair, still cradling Lilian in his arms. ‘Esther – I’m warning you. You’ll hurt too many people and do something that can never – ever – be undone.’

Esther flung out her arm, gesturing towards Kate. ‘And what do you suggest I do? Let her get on with it, eh?’

‘No, but . . .’

‘It’s got to be stopped, Jonathan. You know it has.’ And with that she almost ran from the house.

Kate stared at her stepfather in anguish. ‘Dad – what’s going on? What is it?’

Jonathan sighed and sat down heavily in his chair, shaking his head. ‘It looks as if you’ll find out very soon now, love.’

‘You tell me, Dad.’

‘No. It’s not my place to do so.’

Kate left the house and ran towards the Point. She crested the Hump and stood staring at the scene below her. In the distance she could see Danny and his father, Robert Eland, walking away from the cottages up towards the headland where the river joined the sea. The older man had his arm across Danny’s shoulders and their heads were slightly inclined towards each other as if they were talking earnestly. At least, as if one were talking and the other listening.

Kate’s gaze swivelled and came back to the cottages. She drew in a breath of surprise. Her mother stood outside the Elands’ cottage and Beth Eland was in the open doorway, standing quietly while Esther Godfrey flung her arm out in the direction of Danny’s departing figure, and then pointed at Beth, stabbing her finger towards the woman’s breast to emphasize whatever it was she was saying.