He's kind and caring and she'd not see him worried, say true, so Susan finishes the apple and an orange with it, then nibbles on a few of the pecans they'd been given while she finishes a second cup of the coffee, which is hot and strong enough to keep her moving for a week on any normal day.

Still, the waiting's difficult. She finds herself drifting, listening for the sound of whispers and feeling the pull of the front door like a dragging ache at her bones.

But when the sound of boot-steps approaches, she jerks her head up, tension thrumming through her as she stares at the stable-door.