Owen gave a bark of laughter. ‘Oh no, my lord earl, have no fear that I will shame you in that way. Besides, Myfanwy may be the prettiest woman in North Wales and she loves me well but she cannot compare to my queen. In my heart I will always be your royal mother’s husband and true lover but we men abhor a cold bed, Jasper, do we not?’

There was such an evident desire for understanding in the question that I glanced round to see the wistful smile that accompanied it. Owen’s silver hair clustered in thick curls around the brim of his soft felt hat and I felt a surge of sympathy for this still handsome man, who held on to his virility and defiantly challenged the inexorable march of time to shrivel him in spirit.

Lord Jasper’s reply intrigued me. ‘If the lady is content with your arrangement then you are a lucky man, Father; a clear conscience can make a cold bedfellow, that is certainly true.’

To free up guest accommodation, Lord Jasper had moved into the new mansion for the first time and with him came the bustle of servants and squires rendering service to their Tudor master; confidential meetings were held in the hall.

I found myself with a dual role as governess to the Tudor heir and the earl’s interpreter both at the meetings in the mansion and in the Great Hall where I sat behind his chair to assist conversation with chieftains. My position was not understood at first, I was an object of curiosity and even suspicion for many attending the gathering, but after I had brought Harri to the hall to show him off, my duties became clear and the novelty waned. The female guests in particular became friendlier to me once they had beheld Harri’s big blue eyes and heard his few charmingly lisped words of Welsh.

Up to that time I had been ignorant of how lavishly the nobility entertained; I was shocked at the number and quantity of the dishes Lord Jasper ordered and the copious supplies of ale, wine and more exotic liquors he provided to lubricate the feasting. Luckily Edith was there to entertain the ladies in the style expected, although several were, like me, over-awed by the scale of the festivities and a few drank too much and became quarrelsome or sick. All the meals went on for hours but the final banquet lasted from noon until after midnight and included the presentation of prizes for the most admired songs and poems and the announcement of the festival’s prime objective, which was an alliance sworn between most of the chiefs. The few who felt unable to swear had slipped away by the time a closing joust was held the following day but crucially the Gruffydd clan had stood solidly in allegiance, bringing most others with them.