He smiled, and turned her round to face the crowd. ‘Ladies and Gentlemen. All our dear friends. Thank you for stopping your merriment for just a moment. I have a very important announcement to make about my young friend here, Miss Seren Rhys.’

Baffled, Seren stared. Was this it? Was this when he would send her back to the orphanage? But why all the fuss and why all the people? And why was Lady Mair weeping and clutching Tomos’s hand so hard it was red?

‘You see,’ Captain Jones went on, ‘Lady Mair and I have become so fond of Seren that we have decided something momentous. Something wonderful. But first I would like to say how Seren has changed all our lives.’

A stir in the doorway.

Seren’s eyes fixed on it. Someone came in and stood there.

‘She has been such a joy. So happy, so generous, so clever, so sensible. She has lit up our home.’

It was a tall man in dark, shabby, very old-fashioned clothes. His face was lean and his nose was beaky. His eyes were jewel bright.

Seren gasped.

The lean man smiled. Behind him, out in the hall, Enoch was capering a silent jig.

‘And so,’ Captain Jones took her hand, ‘we have made a great decision. All the legal work has been done. If she agrees, we are ready to adopt Seren into our family. She will be a real daughter to us, and a sister to Tomos. And from now on, her name will be Seren Rhys-Jones.’

He looked down at her and she stared up at him. ‘Do you agree, Seren?’

Seren thought she could never get breath to answer. But she did, even though she could barely hear it herself.

‘Yes. Please.’

Everyone laughed. Everyone applauded, loud and happy.

Captain Jones gave her a hug. Lady Mair ran up and flung her arms around her and held her close. ‘I’m so glad, Seren!’

‘So am I, Lady Mair.’

‘No, no.’ Lady Mair pulled back and looked at her with wet eyes. ‘Mamma. You must call me Mamma now!’

Seren went quite still. Then she said, ‘Thank you. Mamma.’

The Ball exploded into music and dancing. People kept coming up and shaking her hand and kissing her, the farmers’ wives touching her hair and murmuring.

‘Hyfryd.’

‘Sweet thing.’

‘So lovely!’

But Seren was too busy craning to see behind them, to see through the crowd. There was Denzil, sipping from a huge tankard of ale and raising a quiet hand to her, and there was Gwyn, eating the sandwiches hungrily.

And here was a tall, thin dark man in a shabby coat, who came up and bowed graciously.

‘Is it you?’ she gasped.

He straightened. ‘Of course it’s me. Who else would it be, you foolish girl.’

Seren thought she would faint from relief. She gave a loud whoop and everyone looked round and laughed.