Rob raised himself with difficulty. ‘My head hurts, but I don’t think I’ve broken any bones, although I’m sore all over.’

‘Can you stand up?’ Judy scrambled to her feet. ‘We might be able to find somewhere to shelter, if you could walk, that is.’

‘I’ll try. Give me your hand.’

Slowly, with Judy’s help, he managed to raise himself to a standing position.

‘That’s good,’ Judy said carefully. ‘Can you take a step or two?’

He raised his hand to his forehead, grimacing as his fingers found the bloody gash. ‘I feel as if I’ve got a hundred imps with pickaxes hammering at my skull, but there’s no use remaining here. There’s unlikely to be any traffic until morning.’

‘Then we have to make a move.’ Judy winced as she put weight on her damaged ankle. ‘I’m game, if you are.’

‘You’re hurt.’

‘Just my ankle. I can walk, if you can.’

‘Maybe we’ll find that blasted animal grazing somewhere along the way. At least one of us can ride.’

‘That’s right. We’ll take it in turns.’ Judy proffered her arm. ‘I’ll lean on you and you can lean on me. We can do this, Rob.’

‘Most of the women I know would be having hysterics right now.’

‘Not this woman,’ Judy said, laughing. ‘I’m made of sterner stuff, and it was my fault in the first place. I’m sorry I made you leave the comfort of the inn for this, Rob.’

He tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. ‘Never mind that now. Let’s get moving before we both succumb to lung fever or worse.’

‘You could have been more gracious about it,’ Judy grumbled as pain shot upwards from her injured ankle. ‘I rarely admit I’m wrong.’

He laughed. ‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’ He looked up into the lowering clouds. ‘It’s stopped raining but it’s started to snow. We’d better walk faster.’

They tramped along the muddy lane with Judy limping painfully and Rob having to stop every few minutes to catch his breath. The rain had turned to sleet and then to snow and the world around them was rapidly turning from darkness to shining silvery white as the hedgerows and fields took on a mantle of snow. It felt a little warmer and the wind had ceased, but Judy was uncomfortably aware of her wet garments and when she glanced up at Rob she could see that he, too, was in pain. She did not voice her fears, but she suspected he might have broken a few ribs when he was thrown from the chaise, and the fallen branch had caught him across the chest, adding to her worries.

They trudged on until suddenly Judy spotted the swinging lights of carriage lamps not too far ahead. ‘Look, Rob. Someone’s coming.’

As it drew nearer she realised that it was a farm cart, driven by a man who was well-muffled against the cold. He drew the vehicle to a halt.

‘I knew it,’ he said triumphantly. ‘Didn’t I tell my pa that there was an accident somewhere on the way? I’ve come to help you.’ He leaped to the ground and swung Judy up on the driver’s seat without giving her a chance to protest. ‘Can you climb onto the cart, mate?’ he asked, peering closely at Rob. ‘That be a nasty gash you got on your forehead. I bet that stings.’