He suddenly felt a bit chuffed with himself. He had been right when he had spotted how different she was to them, and on their very first meeting. He had known she was an aristocrat, even though she had been sent to the Ham Shank, and then worked for Mrs Wilson as a maid. Breeding was hard to hide, he thought, as he crossed the lawn. It stood out like a sore thumb, or rather like elegance, he corrected himself.

Lord Robert turned to look at him, and said, ‘Morning, O’Neill.’

‘Good morning, Your Lordship.’ Staring at Moira, he nodded, and went on, ‘Hello, Miss Moira, nice to see ye.’

‘Likewise, Blackie. I think your guesthouse is starting to take shape.’ As Moira Aherne spoke, she was looking towards the copse of trees at the other end of the lawn. ‘You’re building a charming house, and it’s in a perfect spot.’ She spoke with a quiet confidence, returned to her rightful position in the world by the patronage of the Earl. She stood beside Robert, dressed in a luxurious soft tweed suit and polished brown boots, her pale hair pinned up under a fashionable hat.

‘Thank ye,’ he said, smiling. The building had really come on in the last few months, and he was glad Lord Robert had approved the change in position. He turned to address Lord Robert. ‘I’ve brought all the drawings for the interiors, m’lord. They’re on the dining-room table, and I wondered if we could go through them. If I’m not disturbing ye.’

‘Excellent idea, Blackie. Let us go up to the house, and dig in.’ Glancing at Moira, he said, ‘If you will excuse me, my dear, I have work to do with O’Neill here. But Adrian is in the study with my old friend Harry Peterson, who arrived for a visit late last night. I’m sure they would appreciate your company.’

‘I shall go and join them, Robert. See you later for lunch.’

Once Robert had removed the two silver candelabra and put them on the sideboard, Blackie spread the large sheets of paper across the table.

Slowly, Blackie walked him through the sketches of the rooms in the guesthouse, starting with the two sitting rooms at the back of the house, facing the lawns.

‘I decided to reduce the sitting rooms, m’lord. I think two work well enough. Do ye agree, Lord Robert?’

‘I do indeed. Good decision on your part, Blackie. And I do like these rooms … tall windows, each room with a fireplace, and I notice you’ve sketched in sofas and chairs. Excellent. Easy for me to visualize. You’ve done truly great work. The builders have made good progress over the past few months.’