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hearthrug while Martha showed the children into theirrooms. All Emilia could see was a big bed with tall posts at the four corners, hung with some kind of heavy, musty-smelling material. She had to climb up three wooden steps to get into the bed, which was icy cold. Even the hot brick that Martha tucked in beside her did nothing to dissipate the chill.
    Emilia sat up, her nightgown tucked about her legs and feet, and said goodnight in a small voice, not wanting to admit how scared she was. She had never slept on her own. She had always shared a bunk with Beatrice, with Noah curled up in the other bunk, only an arm’s length away, and Maggie sitting bolt upright in her chair near the stove. Maggie said her rheumatism was too bad for her to sleep lying down, but Emilia knew her grandmother just did not want to banish any of the children to sleep outside. Maggie had always slept in a bunk before Beatrice, Emilia and Noah had moved in with her.

    The light from the lantern retreated as Martha showed Luka his room, and then brightened again as Martha went quietly back across the sitting room to the door.
    â€˜Martha?’ Emilia said.
    â€˜Aye, my dear?’
    â€˜Couldn’t you leave us the light?’
    â€˜What, at the cost of lamp oil these days? Certainly not! Besides, I don’t trust that wicked monkey not to knock it over and send the wholeplace up in flames. Now, go to sleep, dear. There’ll be light enough from the fire to see by for a while, don’t you worry, and by the sound of those yawns, you’ll be asleep in a trice.’
    Martha went out and shut the door behind her. Emilia lay quietly for a while, hugging the hot brick to her, then she whispered, ‘Rollo?’
    Immediately the big dog came bounding across the room, leapt up into the bed with her, and lay down in the crook of her knees. Emilia patted his rough head and whispered, ‘Good dog, good dog!’
    She put her head back down on the pillow and thought unhappily to herself that it was all wrong that she should be warm and comfortable when her brother and sister were lying on the filthy floor of the Kingston gaol. I’ll never be able to sleep , she thought to herself, for worrying about them .
    But the very next moment, she was fast asleep.

Up with the Birds
    B LACKHEATH , S URREY , E NGLAND
16th August 1658

    E milia woke and stretched, very cosy under her counterpane. Birds were singing loudly, and Luka was looking round the door of her room, his hair sticking up all over the place, Zizi on his shoulder.
    â€˜Come on, Milly! Let’s get going before anyone wakes up.’
    Emilia sat up, yawning. ‘But we have no clothes. We can’t go running around thecountryside in these flappy things.’ She shook the sleeves of her nightgown, which hung loosely, hiding her hands.
    â€˜The old lady said she would give us some clothes. I’ll have a scrounge around and see what I can find,’ Luka said, opening the cupboard door. He pulled out a boy’s coat of cherry-red velvet and made a face. ‘We can’t wear anything like this, they’ll think we’re Cavaliers! Didn’t this boy have anything plainer? Oh, look! This might do.’
    He found a couple of pairs of buff breeches, some fine linen shirts, a jerkin, and a plain brown coat with baggy pockets, which, by the scorch marks on the right shoulder, looked as if it had been used for shooting.
    â€˜They’re rather old-fashioned, but they’ll do,’ he said. ‘At least there’s not a ruff!’
    The house was dim and silent, and the floor was cold under their bare feet. Rollo’s claws clicked loudly, and Emilia put her hand on his ruff,trying to quiet him. Zizi crouched on Luka’s shoulder, her paws under his collar.
    â€˜I feel bad about the old lady,’ Emilia whispered as they went down the stairs. ‘We promised to chop some wood before we left.’
    â€˜Well, aye, but we’d be