It was only a short walk to Abel’s shop but it felt like a hundred miles to Bram. He could feel the eyes of all of King’s Port upon him and he didn’t like it. For a man who had spent most of his life unnoticed it was terribly uncomfortable to suddenly become the object of attention and speculation.

It was the speculation that he liked least of all. He fought an urge to turn and shout at the spectators that he had saved this girl from just the sort of lifestyle that they were at this...