‘Charlotte!’ Lady Mandeville snapped. But before she could chastise her daughter further, Lady Caxton placed her hand on Lady Mandeville’s arm.

‘We are amongst friends here,’ she said.

The visiting ladies smiled, and all eyes turned to Tom.

‘Stop it, please,’ Emma whispered through a smile. ‘If he sees you all staring, he’ll bolt, just like one of those horses he loves so much.’

‘How well you know my son,’ Lady Mandeville said. ‘Do you know, I’m certain I have seen something new in Thomas’ eyes these last few days. A softness and, dare I say it, happiness. Look how he steals glances in this direction when he thinks nobody is watching.’

Mrs Hart shifted beside Lou. ‘We must be mindful that Tom is his own man. As his aunt, I hope that any decision on his future is left for him to make.’

‘Of course,’ Lady Mandeville said. The frosty edge in her voice indicated that she wasn’t best pleased at Mrs Hart pouring cold water on her party. ‘As his mother, I credit myself with knowing what is good for him. I see no harm in … encouraging him in the right direction.’

‘Encouraging, yes, but not pushing him. If I know Tom, then any hint of conspiracy, any overt sign of meddling, is likely to have the opposite effect to that which you desire.’

It was left to Lady Caxton to intervene in the tug-of-war between mother and aunt. ‘It goes without saying that we all want what is best for Thomas. We all love and admire him very much. Now, that asparagus.’ She turned to Lady Mandeville. ‘Where on earth did your chef manage to find it at this time of the year?’

While the women struck up a discussion on the importation of vegetables, Lou placed her glass of cloudy, pithy liquid down on the table. She zoned into the men’s conversation about something called the day’s “Game Book.”

‘There’s no question that Edward was on excellent form today,’ Lord Caxton said. ‘But the figures don’t lie. It’s this fellow who is the crack shot.’ From the corner of her eye, Lou saw him place his hand on Tom’s shoulder.

‘And George wasn’t far behind,’ Sir Charles added. The other men murmured their agreement.

‘George!’ Lord Caxton laughed. ‘He was fortunate to have the wind as an ally today. Just look at his hands, they’re as soft as his mother’s. If I’d had my way, he’d have been enrolled at Sandhurst the minute he was sent down from Cambridge. That’s where they make men out of boys. Now, Tom, have I ever told you about the time we rescued a Swiss prince from the hands of the Dervishes when I was in the Camel Regiment out in the Sudan?’

George knocked back his drink and took another from the second footman’s tray. Lou would have felt sorry for any other man whose father so publicly maligned him. But she had no sympathy for George. He deserved everything his father said, every criticism, every barbed comment. And so much more. He deserved Lou to stand up and tell this room full of people everything she knew about him. Right now, Sir Charles was in the midst of the spiral of debt and scandal that his ill-advised investment had caused. Yet, he carried himself with such dignity that not a soul in the room could have guessed of the torment that must be raging inside him. He was a real gentleman. He could have no clue that the man standing just inches away, gorging on his booze, was already plotting his downfall.