My heart began to thump in alarm, for she was my employer and also the woman who had been kind enough to allow me to bring my own two little girls and their orphaned cousin into her household. We all now looked upon Raglan Castle as our home and those children had made lasting friendships with the lady’s own children. For a few agonizing seconds I feared I had just brought an end to all that and then the words she had uttered and the way she had uttered them filtered into my frozen brain, for although her lips were snapped shut, her striking green eyes were dancing.

‘That was a very good impression,’ Lady Anne said. ‘Have you had a lot of practice, Mistress Jane?’ Behind her the older children had stopped their game and were casting gleeful glances at each other.

‘No, of c-course not, my lady,’ I stuttered. ‘I was just playing a joke on Davy.’ I felt rather like a naughty novice nun being reprimanded by the Mother Superior.

‘I knew it was not you, Lady Anne.’ Davy had withdrawn the hobbyhorse and stood with it held between his knees, like an angelic page practising at the quintain.

The baroness favoured him with a stern look. ‘Did you indeed, Davy Owen?’ Lady Anne came from the class of Anglo-Welsh Marcher gentry who scorned to use the Welsh language and traditions. At Raglan Davy had become known as plain Davy Owen in the English fashion, without the ‘son of’ Welsh patronymic and as yet he remained unaware that it had been Herbert allies who had murderously executed his father without trial.

‘And you were not attempting to disturb the girls’ games at all?’

The boy’s deep brown eyes grew large and round and he pushed the head of the hobbyhorse forward. ‘No, my lady; Dobbin just wanted to see what they were doing.’

Lady Anne waved a finger at him to indicate that she was not charmed by his little pleasantry, although she probably was, and turned back to me. ‘I have not come to exchange foolish remarks with a silly boy, or to listen to their governess attempting to imitate me, amusing though you all apparently find both.’ This at least was true because by now the rest of the children were sniggering. ‘I have come to tell you that our guests have been delayed and will not get here until tomorrow at the earliest. All this rain has swelled the Severn and closed the Chepstow ferry crossing.’ She put a sympathetic arm around Harri’s shoulders. ‘I know you will be very disappointed by this. But the Severn is a fickle river and not to be trifled with. No doubt the Countess is just as frustrated as you are.’

‘My mother said in her letter that she had to wait for royal permission to visit me.’ Harri blushed, clearly building up to an awkward question. ‘Why has it taken so long, my lady?’