Rich was only a few weeks older than Harri and the two little boys quickly reestablished a relationship they had begun as babies, when Rich took away any toy Harri was playing with and Harri devised distraction tactics to get it back. I thought this very clever of Harri. He did not get angry as my little brothers always had in such circumstances and I hoped such a carrot-rather-than-stick strategy might prove useful to him throughout life.

Edith had seen nothing of Margaret while in England.

‘No, she has not left Maxstoke since her wedding. I believe her mother-in-law, the Duchess of Buckingham, is rather a dragon – but do not tell anyone I said so. I just hope she is being kind to Margaret.’

I could imagine Margaret tip-toeing around the duchess while working out the quickest way of getting free of her. I wondered how much support she would get from her new husband, but Edith had only met him at the wedding and then they did not speak much. ‘It will be good when he and Margaret can set up their own household but the duchess apparently thinks Margaret is too young yet.’

‘And what the duchess says goes as far as her son is concerned, is that it?’

Edith shrugged, more concerned to stay her own son’s threatening advance on Harri’s building work. ‘No, Rich – do not knock the wall down!’

I assured her that Lord Jasper encouraged Harri to do exactly that. ‘And he says that the Duchess of Buckingham is a favourite of Queen Marguerite’s,’ I added. ‘Perhaps she will soon be called back to court and the newlyweds will be able to take flight.’ I caught Edith’s eye and we both erupted into giggles at this prospect just at the moment Lord Jasper and Geoffrey entered the nursery, having concluded their business.

I had last encountered Geoffrey Pole during the tense post-Christmas gathering at Haverford when Margaret had handed Harri over. I thought him a shrewd man, tall and dark, with a high brow and a thin face with twinkling hazel eyes, which I discovered indicated a ready sense of humour.

‘Hello, what gossip amuses the ladies while the babies do battle on the floor?’ he asked. Swooping on his son who was waving a toy mangonel perilously close to Harri’s face, he told the boy, ‘That is meant for hurling missiles at castle walls, my boisterous son, not for battering your little friend’s brains out!’ He swung Rich up above his head and tossed him in the air, causing the boy to shriek with laughter. ‘You will not be invited again if you damage your cousin’s good looks.’