‘Do you have something you wish to say, Leonora?’ Sir Charles asked.

Mrs Hart pushed her plate away. ‘I suppose that man still refuses to support the fight for votes for women.’

‘You might not be so hard on him. A man in his position must often mask his true opinions for the sake of his party.’

A small laugh escaped Mrs Hart’s lips. ‘Would you have us believe that the man who was once Home Secretary and is now First Lord of the Admiralty, is afraid to voice his honest opinions?’

Sir Charles dabbed his lips with his napkin and smiled. ‘I suppose you will not be satisfied until Mr Churchill shares the opinions of your friends in south-west London. Remind me, Leonora, didn’t you visit your friend in Richmond in February?’

‘You know full well that I did not visit Clarissa until March,’ Mrs Hart countered.

‘Ah, yes. Just in time for the trial, and if I’m not mistaken, you knew the accused.’

‘Knew of them. There is a difference, Charles.’

Again, Sir Charles smiled. ‘Why suffragettes should feel the need to set fire to the refreshment pavilion at Kew Gardens, I don’t know. What can they hope to gain by sending somebody’s livelihood up in smoke?’

‘The right for women to have a livelihood too.’

Sir Charles appeared to feed off Mrs Hart’s anger, and it was left to Lady Mandeville to cut off his energy supply with her singsong voice. ‘It’s ever such a shame. The pavilion was a lovely spot to take tea on a summer’s day. I do hope it is rebuilt.’

Lou took a sip of wine. Couldn’t Lady Mandeville see that, in trying to keep the peace, she was taking her husband’s side over the suffragettes, helping, in some small way, to perpetuate the position of women in society? Or was that too harsh? Was Lady Mandeville simply trying to keep the peace around her dinner table?

Lou looked up and found herself in Sir Charles’ line of sight. Ignoring his wife’s attempt to add a full stop to the conversation, he said, ‘Miss Arnold, where do you stand on the question of suffrage for women?’ He rested his elbows on the table, pushed his fingertips together and pressed his forefingers to his bottom lip.

Lou placed her glass down. ‘I’m not …’

‘Charles,’ Lady Mandeville said. ‘It’s not fair to tease our guest.’

‘Who’s teasing? Is it not the role of a politician to listen to all sides of a debate and appreciate every opinion and point of view? Miss Arnold?’

All eyes turned to Lou. Her cheeks grew warmer as she thought about Sally upstairs, waiting to pander to her every need; young Mary kneeling beside the hearth that morning, her hands and apron blackened by coal; all of the women scurrying around downstairs without a voice.

‘Why shouldn’t women have the same rights as men?’ she said. ‘Why shouldn’t we have a say in how our lives are controlled by the government?’