She ignored his groan of dismay. ‘Come on, Adam, get your brothers down.’

A smart rap on the front door startled her. ‘He’s here! Come on, boys.’

Harriet descended the staircase slowly. When he made his invitation, Mr Boothby told her he had little interest in garden landscaping or the bounty of flora contained within the high walls of the botanical gardens, but he had a substantial shareholding that granted him, and any guests he might wish to invite, access into the town’s Eden, and it was something she might enjoy. Harriet had accepted fulsomely and added that her cousins would be delighted, too. ‘I had not thought the youngsters would have much interest in the gardens?’ Mr Boothby had said. ‘Oh, yes, they do,’ said Harriet, ‘and they will be so excited when I tell them they’ll be going on a carriage ride.’

She thought it a job well done. Mr Boothby would escort his business partner’s family about town, and Harriet could answer Louisa’s half-jesting ‘Is he courtin’ thee?’ with a firm no.

She painted on a gracious smile and opened the door.

For a second, her eyes refused to recognise the tall figure who stood on the doorstep, she had been so certain she would be forced to meet Mr Boothby’s self-satisfied smile. Harriet inhaled sharply and put both hands to her throat. The same face she had seen at Lady’s Bridge, the same shock of dark hair, that sturdy frame suggesting pent-up energy and easy strength. The work clothes she had last seen him wearing had been exchanged for smart trousers, a collared white shirt and dark blue waistcoat. She was not mistaken.

She breathed out. ‘It’s you.’

‘Ta da!’ he said weakly.

Now she had a name for him.

‘Uncle,’ she said, as Walter came into the parlour to see what all the noise was about. The younger boys were dancing about excitedly, Adam standing to one side, shyly observing Silas who had drawn himself upright and braced his shoulders when Walter entered. ‘Uncle, this is Silas Hinchcliffe. It is the boy who…’

‘I know who it is,’ said Walter.

‘Sir,’ said Silas. ‘I came here because I wanted to thank Harriet for saving me…’

‘You saved yourself,’ said Harriet, beaming.

‘…before she leaves for London.’

‘What?’ Harriet frowned. ‘Before I what?’

Walter was coughing into a handkerchief, so Harriet turned to Silas for an explanation.

‘Your uncle said you’re leavin’, goin’ to live with your brother…’

‘Going to James? Why would…?’

Now Walter spoke. ‘How did you find us?’

‘Uncle!’ She couldn’t understand why he was not being at least civil. ‘Silas has come to say thank you…’

‘I followed thee out of the King’s Arms, a little while since. This is the first chance I’ve ’ad to come back this way.’ He turned to Harriet and took her hands, which seemed to bring on a fresh bout of coughing from Walter. ‘I owe you me life.’

‘No, not at all.’ She blushed.

Walter started to speak, but then bent double as another coughing fit took him.