Morning mist drifted across the Yorkshire lanes as John Hargreaves limped home from Haworth with blood dried upon the back of his head and fear heavy upon his mind.

The men who attacked him beside the road had vanished into the darkness.

But the greater danger still waited at home.

Because in seventeenth-century Yorkshire, Catholic families survived through silence, secrecy, and caution.

One careless word could destroy everything.

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The door was wide open, and his wife Marg was nowhere to be seen. He walked inside and warmed himself by the fire noticing the dark vomited stain on his tunic. His hose was damp, dirty and stained and his head hurt both inside and out. He took his shirt and hose off and left them in a pile near the fire. He walked to the ceramic water bowl and just as he splashed water on his face, she walked in, having just returned with buckets of water from Bridgehouse Beck.

She looked at his nakedness as he was bent over the bowl and smiled at his whiteness and knobby knees.

‘Oh, there you are ‘usband, Agnes was worried about you. Where have you been? Up to no good I suppose,’ said his wife sarcastically.

‘Careful wife, I don’t need cheek this mornin’ my head is split,’ as John turned to show her the back of his head.

‘Goodness John, what have you done?’ asked his wife as she hurried to the kitchen and took a wet cloth to the back of John’s head slowly cleaning it.

John grimaced in pain. ‘My God wife, do you want ta open it up again? You don’t know what’ll come spilling out if you do.’

Stupid old fool. This is retribution for not going to church, I knew it would start again.

‘No wife, it was footpads. They must have known that I had a purse full of winnings. I went to the Kings Arms for an ale. There were rat-baiting in the basement, so I wagered a shillin’ or two and won.’

‘Sounds like you won too much,’ said his wife, lifting his tunic from the floor noticing the stain.

She looked at him curiously. ‘And what may I pray have happened to the winnings?’

‘Sorry wife, they are long gone. I woke up in a stranger’s house with an empty money purse. I was found in a ditch on their hide and they took me home ta sleep off the wound,’ he said apologetically, remembering the hospitality the Rushworth’s had shown him.

‘I’d say you were sleeping off more than the wound ‘n besides, did you not think it might have been them that took the winnings?’

John condemned her accusation, ‘No wife, it wasn’t them. I was assaulted on the way home. If it wasn’t for young Rushworth ‘n his family, who knows what my fate would have been. They tended to the wound ‘n put me near the fire, let me sleep it off while this morning, fed me pottage ‘n gave me ale to wash it down with, no wasn’t them. They are kind folk like us, but not of the faith.’

Margaret looked at him curiously. ‘My goodness, now I’ve ‘eard everything!’

John turned to her. ‘They were different, kind and generous. The woman had two handsome lads, William and her eldest Thomas, about Agnes’ age.

‘They didn’t know I was of the faith, but I get the feeling that it wouldn’t have mattered.’

‘Husband you don’t know that. We must be careful; I don’t want our Agnes to go through all that again. We must be silent and keep our prayers to ourselves. If it gets out that we’re recusants, then it will all start again!’ She sat down, put her face in her hands and sobbed.

John put his hand on Margaret’s shoulder. ‘It’s alright wife, nobody will ever find us and I will continue to pay the fine for not attending church, but I refuse ta pray to a false God and that’s that! Come now wipe yer eyes and let’s talk no more about it.’

Margaret slowly nodded and dried her tears with the edge of her apron, though the fear remained fixed behind her eyes. The fire crackled softly while the morning wind hissed beneath the door.

Then came the sound.

Three heavy knocks.

John and Margaret froze.

Agnes stopped moving upstairs.

Another knock followed.

Slower this time.

Deliberate.

John turned toward the door while Margaret instinctively clutched the small wooden cross hidden beneath her dress.

Nobody ever knocked like that unless they brought trouble.

John moved carefully toward the door, his aching head pounding with every step. He placed his hand upon the latch but hesitated.

Then a voice came from outside.

‘Open in the King’s name.’

Margaret gasped.

And John suddenly realised somebody must have seen him at the Kings Arms the previous night.

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                                                            -VIII-