Amongst those worst hit was Clem Guppy, who had been cast aside despite the fact that he had a large family to support. Another land agent had been employed by the new owner, although it was clear from the start that this was not going to be a happy relationship. Judy knew all the tenant farmers and they were all up in arms due to the fact that their rents had been doubled and Cosgrove, the agent, was not a patient man. If they failed to pay the full amount each quarter they stood in danger of being evicted, which had already happened to some of the smallholders.

Hilda and Wilfred had been forced to vacate their home and they were now renting the cottage where Jay and his siblings had been born and raised. With no alternative, Judy had to sleep on a truckle bed in the one room downstairs, which served as kitchen and parlour, while her mother and stepfather slept in the bedroom on the first floor. It was not a comfortable arrangement and Wilfred seemed to be in a permanent bad mood. Hilda tried to excuse his outbursts of temper, putting them down to the fact that he was unemployed and they were living on the pittance she and Judy earned at Creek Hall. Judy, however, was unimpressed. After a week of living under the same roof she knew that she disliked Wilfred Faulkner and that the feeling seemed to be mutual. He made it obvious that he resented her close relationship with her mother, and although he never put his feelings into words, he managed to make it clear that Judy was an unwanted lodger in the marital home.

Both Judy and her mother had been taken on as domestics at Creek Hall, but Judy had missed the opportunity to live in, due to the fact that several of the servants from the manor house had already applied for positions at the small hospital. Judy tried to make light of it when Nick apologised, and he promised that if anyone left she was more than welcome to take their place. Mrs Bee and Dove were sympathetic, but Judy assured them that all was well at home, and she was careful not to criticise her stepfather. She had lived in Little Creek long enough to know that titbits of gossip like that would fly round the village in no time, and if they reached Wilfred’s ears he would take pleasure in throwing her out of the house.

The situation came to a head one evening in late September when Judy arrived home before her mother. Hilda had stayed on at the hospital to have a cup of tea and a chat with Mrs Bee, and Judy had enjoyed a solitary walk. It was a golden evening and the leaves were turning from green to russet, tipped with scarlet, and the air was fresh and clean. It had been a good day at work, with many of the patients showing signs of improvement, which was always satisfying. However, it had been a long and hectic day and Judy was tired. She filled a bucket with water from the village pump and, having got the fire going, she put the kettle on the trivet to make a pot of tea. She was wondering what they would have for supper when Wilfred’s large frame momentarily blocked the last of the daylight as he stood in the doorway. Judy glanced over her shoulder, saying nothing. She always waited to find out what sort of mood he was in before she started a conversation. She went to the cupboard and was wondering what to do with the meagre contents when she realised that he was standing close behind her. She waited for a few seconds, thinking he was simply trying to get past, but then she felt his arms around her waist and his breath was hot on her neck as he cupped her breasts in his hands. She froze, hardly able to believe that this was the man who had married her mother.