She became more confident as the phrases loosened on her tongue, and by the time they went in for dinner, Jane had relaxed as much as was possible. As guests of honour, Jane and Vincent were led in by M. and Mme Chastain, but from that point forward, the dinner differed in nearly every regard from what Jane was accustomed to in England.

At home she was used to the dishes being placed upon the table in two great courses, and being confined to those closest to her. In France, though, the dishes were presented singly and carried round by servants to every guest.

Colonel de Bodard, far from regaling her with tales of battles as Anne-Marie had threatened, spoke instead of England, with an open fondness for his time there. He was the old style of chevalier, moderated somewhat by his time in England, and wore his greying hair pulled back in a tail. His coat was a pale green with some restrained embroidery confined to his waistcoat as the only nod to the more ornate fashions of his youth. He and Jane quickly established that they had acquaintances in common, and soon felt like the oldest of friends. He did her the favour of allowing her to struggle with her French, then offering correction in the gentlest manner.

As the table was cleared after dessert, the subject moved to politics, and a cross-table conversation began. Jane despaired of leaving the kind Colonel’s side, but to her surprise, the ladies made no move to exit the table.

‘I cannot like the formation of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, no matter how expedient the heads of state think it is.’ Mme Meynard, wife of the celebrated banker, accepted a glass of port from a footman. ‘Did not du Mezzier say, “Blending wine must be done with care, else the character of both is lost”?’

Colonel de Bodard shook his hoary head. ‘You are mistaken to oppose it. Without a strong ruler, it is only a matter of time until the Bonapartists seek to reclaim what they regard as theirs.’

Jane thought immediately of the brigands who had accosted them on the road from Calais to Binché. If those men were representative of the Bonapartists, Belgium had little to fear.

‘Fie!’ Mme Chastain shook her finger at him. ‘Napoleon is deposed and has no power here. I do not object to the new kingdom, but neither will I see support for it come from conjuring mitten-biters out of shadows.’

Jane could hazard no guess as to what a mitten-biter was, but the conversation moved on before she could ask the Colonel.

‘You do not oppose, but neither do you support!’ M. Archam-bault pounced on Mme Chastain’s statement with a vigour which surprised Jane. She still expected the party to separate at any moment, and yet there was no move resembling that.