Judy set about clearing the ashes away from the embers and she used the bellows to coax them into flames, adding what was left of the coal. There was a decent blaze by the time Jay returned with a basket of logs and a bundle of dried furze. Minutes later the kettle was on the hob and bacon sizzled in the pan.

Jay took his place at the table. ‘You’d be useful on board ship,’ he said, grudgingly. ‘Our cook should be tossed overboard for the rubbish he serves up.’

Judy turned the bacon and added a couple of slices of bread. ‘I’m not volunteering for that job.’

‘You might not have much choice if your friend doesn’t turn up at the meeting place. If I can’t get what I want we’ll be setting sail sooner than planned.’

Judy served the food and slapped his plate down in front of him. ‘So all this will have been a waste of time. Why don’t you give up and be satisfied with what you have in Australia? It sounds like a good life over there.’

‘If I don’t get my way you’ll find out for yourself.’ Jay attacked his food with obvious enjoyment.

Judy took a seat opposite him. ‘What do you think you’ll gain by this? And what good will it do keeping me prisoner here?’

‘If Dorning wants to see you again he’d better let me buy back the Creek Manor estate. I don’t want something for nothing – I can pay whatever he asks.’ Jay bolted his food and when he had finished his breakfast he rose to his feet. ‘I’m leaving now and I’ll be gone for a while. If Dorning agrees to my terms, he’s welcome to you.’

Judy’s taut nerves threatened to get the better of her and she had to curb the desire to fly at Jay and slap the smug smile from his face, but she managed to retain her self-control.

Jay reached for his greatcoat. ‘Don’t try to escape. You won’t get very far on foot in this weather, and it’s several miles to the nearest village.’ He swaggered to the front door and let himself out.

Judy ran to the window. She watched him as he made his way to the stable, and minutes later he emerged, leading the horse all tacked up. With an agile leap he mounted and rode off, leaving her feeling alone and even more vulnerable. She returned to the table, but she had lost her appetite and she pushed her plate away. Jay was using her as a pawn in his twisted game, and she had no intention of making life easy for him. Her determination to escape grew by the second and she jumped to her feet. Outside the wind was battering the old building and rain lashed the windows. She had only the clothes that she stood up in, and if she was to brave the weather she would need to wear something warmer.

Upstairs, she rifled through the cupboards in every bedroom, and in the last room she found a moth-eaten woollen cloak. She put it on, wrinkling her nose at the smell of naphtha, which someone had used to keep moths at bay. It did not seem to have done its job very well but it was better than nothing, and she was desperate. She hurried downstairs, but the back door was locked. She searched frantically, pulling out drawers and scattering the contents on the floor, but she could not find the key. In the end she climbed onto a shelf in the larder and with a great deal of effort she managed to push out the screen window. She dropped to the ground and wrapped the cloak more firmly around her as the sleety rain poured down from a gunmetal sky.