Judy eyed him curiously. ‘But Faulkner was scared of you, Rob. Can you explain that?’

He shook his head. ‘Maybe it was the name Dorning that frightened him, or maybe a fleeting family likeness. Perhaps he had fallen foul of one of my uncles before they were caught and sent to prison? Who knows what went on in the man’s head?’ Rob turned back to Hilda with a sympathetic smile. ‘Try to forget him. As the constable said, you won’t be seeing Faulkner again for a very long time.’

‘Yes, I know you’re both right. I’ll try to put it out of my mind, but I can’t help feeling a bit responsible for all our friends losing their livelihoods and their homes. I brought my children here but we’ve always been regarded as newcomers in Little Creek, and now we’ve brought shame and hardship to the village.’

‘That’s not true, Ma,’ Judy said in desperation. ‘No one will blame you for what Wilfred’s done. You’ll see.’

‘I don’t think I can show my face in the village again,’ Hilda said, sighing. She held up her hands as Judy went to give her a comforting hug. ‘I’m all right, dear. What I need is to keep myself occupied. Why don’t you go back to the bar with Rob, and I’ll clear up the kitchen? Anyway, I need to make more pies for the evening’s trade. That’s if anyone ever comes here again.’ She hurried from the room, leaving Judy staring after her in dismay. She had never seen Ma brought so low, not even after the accident that left her permanently maimed.

Rob laid his hand on her shoulder. ‘Your mother’s right. Come into the taproom and I’ll show you the plan for the new building. The sooner work starts on it the better.’

She nodded wordlessly and walked slowly to the taproom.

The fishermen had left and Nate was stoking the fire. He straightened up and turned to give them a curious stare. ‘What’s going on? I saw the copper leaving. What did he want?’

‘Don’t let Ma hear you calling Constable Fowler “a copper”,’ Judy said with a reluctant smile. ‘You know she’s brought us up to respect the law.’

Nate shrugged and wiped his grubby hands on his trousers. ‘You’re as bad as she is sometimes, Judy. Anyway, you haven’t answered my question.’

Rob hesitated at the foot of the stairs. ‘I’ll go and get the plans while you tell your brother what’s happened. It’s my guess that it will be all round the village by now.’

‘Sit down, Nate,’ Judy said wearily. ‘It’s not good news, I’m afraid.’

‘The old devil,’ he said when she had finished speaking. ‘I never liked the fellow, especially when he beat me for nothing, but I never said anything because I thought he was good to Ma. I wish I’d known what he was up to. I’d have knocked some sense into him.’

Her brother’s pugnacious stance both touched and amused Judy, but she managed to keep a straight face. ‘Then it’s as well you didn’t know. He’s a strong brute, as I discovered to my cost. Anyway, I’m glad he’s out of the way now, and I hope I never see him again.’