‘Sorry.’

‘So you should be.’

There was a lull between them, before he suddenly reached out and took her hand in his. ‘It’s me that should be sorry,’ he apologised. ‘I ought never to have started the journey. I should have taken you back to the house there and then. Trying to get you home on a night like this is sheer bloody lunacy!’

Opening the blanket to encompass him, Bridget huddled close. ‘You’d die before you would admit it,’ she said, ‘but I know you’re frozen through. Please, Harry, share the blanket. We can keep each other warm.’ Her face was so close to his, she could feel the stubble on his chin. ‘And no arguments.’

Harry wasn’t about to argue. In fact, with Bridget’s small soft body next to his, he was the happiest man in the world.

When they got as far as Samlesbury, Harry called the horse to a halt. ‘Just as I thought,’ he told Bridget. ‘With few hedges along these lanes and only low-lying shrub beyond, there’s nothing to stop the snow from whipping across the fields. We ought to be standing right in the middle of the lane but it’s impossible to be sure. Looks like the whole area is buried under four feet of snow.’

‘What can we do?’

‘I’m just wondering where we are exactly, and whether there are any farms hereabout.’

‘There is a farmhouse somewhere along this lane, I’ve seen it on my way home.’ She always thought how pretty it was, with its thatched roof and bull’s-eye windows.

Rubbing his hands together, Harry encouraged the blood to circulate faster. ‘We’ll be hard pressed to find it in this lot.’

‘What then?’

‘One thing’s for sure. We can’t go on, and we can’t go back.’ Turning the blanket away, he climbed down. ‘You stay where you are,’ he told her. ‘And I mean, stay… where… you… are!’

‘Don’t worry.’ Her quiet smile reassured him. ‘Anyway, somebody has to look after the horse.’

He looked at her and, for one precious moment, his love shone in his eyes. Then, just as quickly, his features were grim. ‘Get down under the seat. It’s important to keep warm. Wrap the blanket tight about you.’ He made certain she was tucked securely underneath the seat, with the blanket covering her from top to bottom, until only her eyes peeped out. ‘I’m going to scout ahead. If there is a farmhouse like you said, I’ll find it.’

Sorry eyes stared up at him. ‘I’d rather come with you, even if it is reckless.’

He shook his head. ‘You drive a man crazy, Bridget Mulligan!’ Strong, lean fingers caught hold of her. ‘Will you do as I ask? Or must I tie you to the cartwheel?’

‘All right. But what if you get hurt? How am I supposed to know?’

He answered with a grin. ‘Oh, you’ll know all right because I’ll shout and yell until you find me.’

‘What about me? I might be frightened here in the dark all on my own.’