‘I know it’s not ideal,’ I said, trying to help her see it from Joe’s point of view, ‘but having listened to Joe talk about falling yields and failing crops, especially after that storm, I can understand why he’s doing it.’

Sophie looked at me as if I’d gone mad and I began to think I’d made a mistake in telling her.

‘And at least now we know his secret has nothing to do with the crash,’ I pointed out, trying to paint a silver lining. ‘Getting him and Sam back on proper speaking terms might be easier to achieve than we first thought.’

‘You’ve got to be kidding?’ Hope laughed. ‘Can you not imagine how Sam’s going to react when I tell him about this?’

‘Do you have to tell him?’ I asked. I could feel my face beginning to burn in spite of the fact that the sun was still hidden. ‘I only told you because—’

‘Of course, I have to tell him,’ she interrupted. ‘I do understand why you are sympathetic to Joe’s cause, Tess, because he’s talked to me about how difficult it all is, so to a certain extent I get it too, but the implications of what he’s proposing are going to be felt a whole lot further than the Upton farm boundary.’

‘Why don’t you talk to Joe before you tell Sam?’ I suggested.

‘What and drop you in it?’ She frowned. ‘If I talk to him, then he’ll know you were snooping.’

‘I wasn’t exactly snooping,’ I reminded her. ‘It was all right there.’

‘Even so.’

‘All right,’ I said, changing track. ‘How about I talk to him? I’ll explain about Bruce knocking off the papers and how I heard his side of the phone call and maybe he’ll tell me the rest.’

Hope didn’t look convinced.

‘It might not be as bad as we think it is,’ I pleaded.

Having seen the marked-out boundaries on the map, I knew that it was, but I had to try and do something to stop the flood I had just unleashed. Even if I could plug the dam long enough to give Joe a heads up, that would be something.

‘Please,’ I said, ‘before you tell Sam, or anyone else, let me talk to Joe.’

*

Hope headed back to the café, having reluctantly agreed not to say anything to Sam, and I went back to the cottage. I knew that time was of the essence and wanted to get to Home Farm and talk to the Upton brothers before she had a change of heart. Hope was the sort of woman who wore her heart on her sleeve and I knew it wouldn’t take much prompting if someone picked up on her preoccupied mood for her to tell all.