Having added water to the mixture, Judy retrieved the poker from the fire and shook off the ash. She immersed the red-hot tip in the tankard and waited while it hissed and bubbled. She walked slowly back to where Jay was standing.

‘I wish you luck with that, but if you want my honest opinion I think you said goodbye to your inheritance when you sold the estate.’

He took the tankard from her and drank thirstily, despite the fact that the brew was still steaming. ‘That was good. You make a decent barmaid, Judy. It’s a pity you can’t stay on here when I take over.’

She stared at him in astonishment. ‘What did you say?’

‘You should have tried harder to find the true owner of the Crooked Billet, my love.’

‘What do you mean? I did make enquiries but no one knew who it was.’

‘This pub was not part of the Creek Manor estate. It was a separate parcel of land that my late father owned, and it came in very handy I’ve no doubt.’

‘Everyone knows that he was involved in smuggling, but I never heard it said that he owned this place.’

‘Well, it is so, and when I sold the estate the inn was not included. I needed somewhere to come home to, and now I am here. So I want you and your family gone. Is that clear enough?’

‘I need proof of ownership,’ Judy said faintly. ‘You can’t just toss us out on the street.’

A grim smile curved his lips. ‘Oh, but I can.’ He put his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a folded sheet of parchment. ‘These are the deeds of the Crooked Billet. Look at them closely, Judy.’ He spread the document out on the bar counter.

It took only a few seconds for Judy to scrutinise the elegant copperplate writing. The deeds confirmed what Jay had claimed, and she could see that he was in no mood to be generous.

‘At least give us time to find alternative accommodation.’

‘I’m a reasonable man. You have until six o’clock this afternoon, and then I’m taking over. You will have all your belongings removed by that time or they will be forfeit. Do you understand?’

She nodded mutely, too shocked to put up an argument, besides which, he seemed to have the law on his side. It was her fault, she thought miserably as she watched him finish his drink with obvious relish. She should have gone into the matter more thoroughly, but they had been desperate, and now matters were even worse. It was the depths of winter, it was Christmas Eve, and by late afternoon they would again be homeless. She shot him a wary glance – Jay was enjoying her discomfort. He could have told them this when he first arrived in Little Creek, but he had obviously chosen today because it suited him to be melodramatic.

‘What have we ever done to you?’ she demanded angrily. ‘Why are you treating us this way?’