She pulled on her coat and grabbed the bundle. After checking that the corridor was clear, she closed the door behind her and crept down the stairs into the hall.

The morning room was full of wives of the shooting party, noisily taking tea with Lady Mandeville. Giving it a wide berth, Lou let herself into the billiard room and slipped out through the conservatory.

Behind the stable block, she paced up and down to keep warm, her boots squeaking in the fresh snow. A few minutes after the church clock chimed twelve, she heard footsteps approaching. Mary appeared around the side of the stable, dressed in a sombre brown coat and felt hat, carrying a wicker basket. She looked like a little girl dressed in her grandmother’s clothes. When she saw the bundle in Lou’s arms, she put her hand to her mouth. ‘That’s never all for me?’

‘It most certainly is.’Lou forced the unwieldy bundle into Mary’s basket. ‘Be sure to tell your father to expect good prices. It’s all top quality. And you can tell him honestly now that these things are gifts to show appreciation for how hard you work.’ She pulled the pink scarf from her pocket and placed it around Mary’s neck. ‘But this is not for sale. This is for you.’

Mary touched the silk with fingers scrubbed clean, except for a semicircle of dirt engrained beneath each nail. ‘Oh m’lady, I’ve never had anything so beautiful in my whole life.’ She smiled, but in an instant, her pleasure vanished.

‘What’s wrong?’ Lou asked.

‘I just wish there was something I could do to thank you for all that you’re doing for me. Only, there’s nothing a person like me can do for a lady such as you.’

Lou tied the scarf into a bow. ‘You don’t owe me anything.’ But as she tucked the ends of the scarf into the collar of Mary’s coat, a thought began to take shape. No, she couldn’t … could she? ‘There is one thing,’ she started. But when she looked into Mary’s innocent eyes, she was reminded of a trusting puppy. ‘No, it wouldn’t be fair.’

‘What is it? Please tell me.’

One good turn, Lou thought. ‘You can say no. In fact, I expect you to refuse. And I want you to understand that my helping your family in no way depends on you agreeing to do anything for me.’ She took a moment to work out how best to phrase what she was about to say. ‘The Mandevilles have been good to you, haven’t they? Giving you a job and putting a roof over your head.’

‘Yes, m’lady.’

‘And if you knew that somebody wanted to do them harm, you would do your utmost to stop them?’

‘Of course,’ Mary said, unwittingly playing into Lou’s hands.

‘There’s somebody staying here, Mary,’ Lou said. ‘Somebody who means to do the Mandevilles great harm. Very great harm indeed. If I could find any information that may show that person in a bad light, I might be able to put a stop to his plans. Before I go on, I need to know that you can keep a secret.’