Once she was up and dressed she found that the tap in the yard had frozen solid, as it had done every morning for the past week, and by the time she’d pushed several pieces of burning paper up the spout and got the water trickling it was beginning to snow again. She was about to go indoors when Mrs McKenzie’s son appeared in her back yard and after a perfunctory ‘Merry Christmas’, told her his mother had slipped on the ice late the previous night on her way to the privy and broken her leg. ‘Gonna be a long job, Dr Randall said,’ he added gloomily. ‘Broken in three places it is.’

Rose sent her condolences but her main thought was that she could expect no help with Betsy from Mrs McKenzie now, so that narrowed down her options.

It was mid-morning when Nathaniel made his appearance and as soon as the knock came at the back door Rose knew she’d been expecting it. Betsy was having a nap and she’d just sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, so when she saw his gaze move to the mug she felt duty bound to ask him if he wanted a hot drink.

‘Wouldn’t say no.’ He’d walked straight in after knocking again and her voice had been tight, so when he said in a soft tone, ‘You all right this morning, lass?’ she merely nodded before walking to the teapot keeping warm on the range and pouring him a cup while he divested himself of his cap and coat.

He nodded his thanks, taking it from her and then sitting down at the table where he said, still in the soft voice, ‘It’s customary to say “Merry Christmas” but I think in the circumstances that’s pointless. How are you feeling? Did you get some sleep?’

She sat down on the opposite side of the table. ‘Yes, yes, I did.’ She was aware he had a couple of packages that he’d put on one of the four hard-backed chairs along with his outdoor things and was desperately hoping they weren’t for her.

That hope was dashed when he reached for them, saying, ‘I got you and Betsy something.’

‘You shouldn’t have done. I told you yesterday you’ve done more than enough since – since Davey—’ She couldn’t continue, her voice reflecting the sudden pain that had gripped her afresh. She just couldn’t believe she wouldn’t see him again.

He waited a moment and then said, ‘I’d already got these before. It’d be daft not to have them. I’d told Davey.’