‘But last week, Hill House was a wreck. It was –’

‘William, please take me closer.’ Bertie released Lou’s hands, and Will pushed him to the glass cabinet. With what was clearly a considerable effort, he pointed to the photograph of a family group, a mother and father with four children – two boys, a girl and a babe in arms. They were dressed in what Lou recognised as the fashion of the 1920s.

‘Who do you see?’ Bertie asked.

Lou peered into the faces. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Look more closely,’ Bertie said.

Lou moved in closer but stopped short of pressing her nose to the glass. It took a few moments. ‘It looks like … well, it looks like Edward. And Alice.’

‘Lady Alice,’ Bertie corrected. ‘She was a godsend to the Mandevilles.’

‘Alice?’ Lou said. ‘We are talking about the same person? Alice the maid.’

‘The very same,’ Bertie said. ‘She had to fight to be accepted but was able to take strength in Mr Edward’s love for her. After they married, Lady Alice worked alongside Mr Edward to keep Hill House going. Together they were able to take Hill House through the lean years. They worked tirelessly to save their home. Land had to be sold, of course, but with them together at the helm, Hill House thrived.’

Lou looked at Alice’s beautiful dress, her hair neatly pinned up, her children around her and Edward’s hand on her shoulder. She was almost unrecognisable as the sad creature Lou had watched walk through the gates. Lou was still grasping what had happened to Alice when Bertie said, ‘You’ll be interested in what happened to the rest of the Mandevilles too.’

Lou swallowed and nodded slowly.

‘Shortly after the ball you attended that last Christmas before the Great War, Lord Caxton arranged a position for his son with the Colonial Office in India. George Caxton may not have faced justice for his crimes in this country, but he wasn’t so lucky when he was implicated in a ring of corruption and a murder in Calcutta. If he was ever released from that Indian prison, he never showed his face in this country again. When her father died, Lady Emma and her husband took over the running of Caxton Hall. She had a family and was happy. And she was a great supporter of Miss Charlotte.’

‘A supporter?’

Will put a hand on Bertie’s shoulder. ‘You take a rest, Granddad, I’ll explain. You see, Lou, Charlotte Mandeville was a trailblazer for the rights of women. She was one of the first women to receive a degree from Cambridge. The tradition had always been for the Mandeville heir to become the local MP, but that changed with Charlotte. Edward really wasn’t cut out for politics, so it was Charlotte who stood for parliament. But not until the 1930s, after Sir Charles passed away at a ripe old age. Charlotte represented this constituency for over twenty years and made an amazing job of it.’