‘The Great North Road is quicker, but no-one is headed down that way this morning,’ he went on. ‘And the Carlisle route is safer, if you ask me. For you’re more likely to be robbed over that way, it being busier.’

I had not even thought of being robbed and I must have looked alarmed, for he softened then and stopped fiddling with the ropes and stood up.

‘Don’t fret,’ he added. ‘I’ve never been robbed yet, and I carry a knife on me, just in case. You’re as well to do the same, a young lass like you, and you can get one in that general store.’ He ran his eyes up and down me, but not in a lewd way, more to check me over. ‘And you don’t look it, but if you happen to be with child, don’t even think about getting on this coach, for I’m no midwife.’ I shook my head, horrified at his frank talk. ‘Oh, that’s happened before.’ He shrugged. ‘And by the way, I’m not one for helping maids escape who’ve got into a fix by capering with their masters. Too much trouble. So if either of those categories applies to you, then you’ll need to wait for the next coach south.’

Neither of those categories applied to me. I shook my head even more vigorously, feeling solemn.

‘All right then, come back in twenty minutes, and I shall need those three shillings,’ he continued.

I walked round to the general store. I had a decent feeling about the driver. I like a plain talker, for I’m a plain talker too. He had a soft accent that sounded a bit like Spencer’s, but he was much older and his clothes were the most crumpled I had ever seen. The young lassie behind the counter in the store barely nodded as I asked for a sharp knife, and when she offered me a selection, laid out on a linen cloth, I chose something small and neat – enough to peel and core an apple, or stick into a highwayman, should one come along. Then I bought a small bottle of whisky, to keep out the cold, and I must confess I went into a panic to ensure I did not suffer any inconveniences on the journey and bought a sewing kit, some Castile soap, some powder to keep my armpits fresh and two pies, one meat and one fruit. Then a water can, of course, for I had forgotten one; and by the time I piled all of these into my creel, I was glad I was only walking back to the courtyard. All in all, it was more money than I had ever spent before in one go. But it kept my mind off the betrayal. It kept me moving forward.