‘Horse thieves?’ gasped Akiko as the constables unhooked the reins and led their mounts out of the barn. ‘I can assure you, sir, we didn’t steal these horses.’

‘That’s not what the owner says.’ The constable gave her a disparaging look up and down. ‘Besides, you’re clearly vagrants and therefore not welcome in Banbury.’

Jack opened his mouth to object, then caught sight of Akiko and Yori. Their fine clothing was caked in mud from riding through the previous night’s storm and the dirt had fused with clumps of hay to make them look like dishevelled scarecrows. He looked down at his own clothes too, and saw how dirty they were. It’s no wonder the constable mistook them all for vagrants. ‘We only stayed here to take shelter from the storm,’ said Jack. ‘I can promise you –’

‘Shut your trap!’ snarled the chief constable, backhanding Jack across the jaw and making stars burst before his eyes. ‘I’ve heard all the excuses in my time, so don’t try my patience. There’s a perfectly good inn just down the road for proper folk. It’s obvious you ain’t got the money for that – and that makes you vagrants in my book.’

‘I have money,’ Jack assured him, reaching for his purse … only to discover it missing. He looked desperately around at the barn floor and hay bales but couldn’t spot any leather pouch. ‘At least I did have …’

‘Enough stalling!’ barked the chief constable. With a jerk of his head he ordered his constables to lead them out on to the road. There, they were secured by a long rope to Jack’s horse, the chief constable now sitting smugly astride it on his ample behind. ‘Let’s see what the bailiff makes of you three,’ he said, urging his mount on and pulling the rope taut.

As they were frogmarched along the muddy highway, Yori whispered to Jack in Japanese, ‘Where’s Rose?’

‘I don’t know,’ Jack replied. He too spoke in Japanese so their captors wouldn’t understand. ‘Perhaps she saw the constables and ran.’

‘Or else she turned us in!’ said Akiko under her breath.

Jack shook his head. ‘Rose is a friend. She wouldn’t do that.’

‘Then where’s your purse?’ asked Akiko.

‘It must have come loose while I was asleep …’

Akiko gave him a look. ‘Once a thief, always a thief!’

‘Rose wouldn’t steal my purse,’ insisted Jack. But doubt was creeping in again. Had Rose been so hurt by his rejection that she’d decided to cut loose, with his money? He remembered her wrapping her arm round his waist. Had that all been a ploy to take his purse? When they’d met her in the Bunch of Grapes Inn back in Limehouse, she’d flirted with him simply in order to pick his pocket. Jack didn’t want to believe it, but it seemed possible that Rose had betrayed him.