‘Wait there,’ she told Amber, pausing at a set of double doors, before disappearing through them, only to reappear seconds later to hold one of the doors wide and tell Amber, ‘Mrs Temple is expecting you. I shall be back shortly.’

As Amber entered the room she felt as if she was walking into a lion’s den for she had no idea at all what to expect. But she needn’t have worried. As Mrs Temple rose from her chair she gave her a wide smile and ushered her towards the chair opposite hers.

‘Do come and sit down. It’s Amber, isn’t it? Or would you prefer to be called Miss Ainsley?’

‘Oh no,’ Amber said hastily as she perched on the edge of the leather wing chair. ‘Amber is fine, ma’am.’

Mrs Temple looked to be in her early thirties and was very attractive indeed. Amber had seen her pass through the town in her fine carriage on a few occasions but close up she realised she was even prettier than she had realised. It had been the talk of the town when she had married her husband, a wealthy barrister, some twelve years before, for he was at least twelve years her senior and everyone had gossiped that it wouldn’t last. But the Temples had proved them wrong and it was clear to see that this woman in front of her was a very happy one.

‘So, what has Barnaby— I’m sorry, I mean Mr Greenwood, told you about my two little terrors?’ There was a twinkle in her eyes as Amber stared back at her blankly. The woman’s hair was very fair and tied into two small bunches of ringlets above her ears and the blue shot-silk day gown she was wearing was the exact colour of her eyes. A row of perfectly matched pearls was strung about her slender throat and matching pearl earrings adorned her ears. She was, Amber thought, quite simply one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen.

‘He, er . . . he ain’t told me much about ’em at all, ’cept to say that they need someone to be their nanny till after Christmas.’

‘I see.’ Helen Temple’s mind was racing as she wondered what her parents would think of this young woman’s dialect. It was broad Yorkshire, but then she supposed it was a problem that could be overcome. She could sit in when the boys had their twice weekly elocution lessons and it wasn’t as if her parents were going to see a lot of her anyway.