Sally collected a blanket from the floor where Lou must have kicked it in the night. Folding it, she placed it back on the bed. It was clear that she had decided the conversation about this Alice character had come to an end. ‘Breakfast is at eight, and the family always leaves for church on the dot of eight forty-five. I’d best draw your bath, or you’ll be late.’

Lou sipped her tea. She could get used to being brought a cuppa in bed every morning. ‘Is everything done to a schedule in this house?’

‘Yes, Miss. Sir Charles was in the army and likes everything to run to time. It makes it easier for us all to know what is expected and when. The staff in a household this size need to be kept in order.’

Or have other patients to attend to … ‘Don’t you ever tire of fetching and carrying and running around after other people?’

‘Tire of it! I don’t have the time to be tired.’ Sally let out a little laugh. ‘Anyway, this is the best job I’m ever likely to have. Her Ladyship has been kinder to me than another employer would have been in my … my situation.’

‘Your situation?’

‘I’d best be getting on.’ Sally made hastily in the direction of the bathroom, bringing their conversation to an abrupt halt.

After her bath, and while Sally dressed her in a long brown skirt and a white blouse with a close-fitting jacket – ‘You’ll need a dark skirt, if you’re walking to church, so that it won’t show when the hem gets damp.’ – Lou had to resist the urge to press Sally on her situation. That level of nosiness would surely be pushing this fledgling friendship a step too far.

Once dressed to Sally’s satisfaction, Lou made her way down to the dining room. If the weather outside was chilly – which, judging by the rime on the windows, it was – then the atmosphere around the table was positively arctic. Edward sat at one end, his forehead resting in his cupped palm. He was pale and exuded misery, not to mention beer fumes. Lou briefly held her breath as she passed him to take the chair that Bainbridge held out for her.

‘Good morning, Louisa,’ Mrs Hart said across the table. Lou wished her a good morning in return. But gone was the cheery Mrs Hart of yesterday and in her place sat a woman who stared at her nephew over the rim of her coffee cup as though her constant gaze alone was stopping him from shattering into pieces. Lady Mandeville and Charlotte, on the other hand, behaved as though Edward was not there at all.

‘Did you sleep well, Miss Arnold?’ Lady Mandeville asked, vigorously buttering a slice of toast.

‘Quite well, thank you,’ Lou said and took a sip of the tea William placed before her.

‘And do you like your room?’ Charlotte scooped a mound of jam on to her toast. ‘It’s my particular favourite. It has the most wonderful view of the drive, don’t you think? It’s the perfect place to watch the guests arrive for the Christmas Ball. Wait until you see the drive lit up with Mama’s Chinese lanterns; it’s truly splendid. Perhaps I’ll come to your room on Christmas Eve so that we can watch the guests arriving together.’