Sunday, who felt that she was coming down with a cold, decided that she would have an easy day by the fire as the rest of the staff were entertaining the children. She had only just settled into the fireside chair, however, when there was a tap on the door. She had been just about to start Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, a local novelist. It was one of the books Tom had bought her for Christmas and she’d been looking forward to reading it.

‘Come in,’ she called.

Bessie, the general maid, almost tumbled into the room, clearly very distressed. ‘Oh, missus, you’d best come straight away,’ she babbled. ‘It’s the master – he’s had a bad fall in the stableyard.’

Flinging the book down, Sunday exploded from the room, holding her skirt high so that it wouldn’t hinder her. She fairly flew through the hallways, and as she raced out into the back yard the bitterly cold air seemed to suck the air from her lungs. From there it took seconds to reach the stable block where she found Ben and George hanging over Tom who was a ghastly white colour as he lay on the ground clutching his leg.

‘I had a bit of a fall, pet,’ he gasped, trying to put a brave front on but at a glance Sunday could see that it was much more than that. Below the knee his trouser leg was soaked with blood and his leg was twisted at an unnatural angle.

‘He were exercisin’ Major and just bringin’ him back to the stables when the ’oss slipped on the frosty cobbles an’ unseated him,’ George explained. ‘Luckily I reckon Major has only sprained a ligament but we’ll have to get the vet out to look at him.’

At that moment, much as she loved the horses, Sunday’s concerns were all for Tom who was clearly in agony, and she had to force herself to stay outwardly calm although she felt sick with fear.

‘Ben, help us get Tom into the house then take the car into town and fetch the doctor as soon as you can.’ She was trying not to panic but she couldn’t prevent her hands from trembling. ‘You could ask the vet to call and look at Major at the same time,’ she ended.

George turned and hared off into the stable block to fetch a door they could lie Tom on as Sunday dropped to her knees at the side of him regardless of the mess it would make of her smart silk skirt.

‘I don’t know, I can’t leave you alone for a minute,’ she chided him but her voice was heavy with tears. He was clearly in tremendous pain though he was valiantly trying to hide it from her.

Once George returned with the door he and Ben lifted the injured man as carefully as they could onto it but Tom couldn’t help but scream with pain. Between them they carried him back through the house and into the drawing room, with Sunday clinging to his hand, then Ben raced off intent on fetching the doctor as quickly as he could.