They could hear Cook labouring up the stairs and then the creak of the floorboards over their heads as she opened Johnnie’s door, and then her coming down the stairs again. Her face when she came into the dining room was bright with mischief. ‘He’s not there!’ she announced, smiling. ‘And his bed’s not been slept in.’

Hester’s first thought was not of the ale houses of Lambeth, but that he had run away to join Charles Stuart’s court, ridden to the docks and taken a ship to Europe to be with the prince. ‘Is his horse in the stable?’ she asked urgently.

John took one look at her white face and went quickly from the room. Mary Ashmole rose, hesitated.

‘Please don’t disturb yourself, Mrs Ashmole,’ Hester said, recovering. ‘Do finish your breakfast. I expect my son stayed with friends and forgot to send a message.’

She followed John to the stable yard. Caesar’s head was nodding over the stable door. John was questioning the stable lad.

‘He didn’t take his horse out last night,’ he said to Hester. ‘No-one has seen him since yesterday.’

‘Send the boy down to Lambeth and see if he went there,’ Hester said.

‘This could be much ado for nothing,’ John warned her. ‘If he is drunk under an ale-house table he won’t thank us for sending a search party out.’

She hesitated.

‘If he’s not back by midday I’ll go down to Lambeth myself,’ John decided.

At midday John took Caesar and rode down to the village but soon came home again. Johnnie had not been in the ale house, and was not staying with any of his friends in the village.

‘Perhaps he was walking to Lambeth and had some accident on the road,’ Hester suggested.

‘He’s not a baby,’ John said. ‘He knows how to fight. And run. Besides, you know Johnnie: he’d always ride rather than walk. If he was going any distance he’d take his horse.’

‘If there was a gang of thieves?’ Hester suggested. ‘Or a press gang?’

‘The press gang wouldn’t take him, he’s obviously a gentleman,’ John said.

‘Then where can he be?’ Hester demanded.

‘You saw him after dinner,’ John said. ‘Did he say anything?’

‘He was in his boat,’ she said. ‘He always goes there when he wants to be alone and to think. He knew he was wrong to speak out to Lord Lambert, he promised he would apologise to you and to his lordship. I asked him if he wanted me to stay with him and he said he would come home later.’

She paused. ‘He said he would come home,’ she said. Her voice sounded less and less certain. ‘He said he would come home when he was merry again.’