He turned beet red now. “Crikey,” he said. “Then you’re royal. Does one have to call you ma’am?”

I was very tempted to say yes. And that he had to bow every time he saw me, but since he was now squirming with embarrassment I said, “Actually I’m not an HRH, I’m only a lady. And since we are social equals it would be fine for you to use my first name.”

“Oh, jolly good,” he said. He stuck out his hand. “I am Nikolai Gregorovitch, son of Count Streletzki, formerly of Russia.”

“And I am Ekaterina,” the girl said, holding out her hand too. “But Uncle Cedric said it was pretentious to have such names and we have to be called Katherine and Nicholas.”

“It probably is easier if you’re to go to school in England,” I said.

“But so ordinary, don’t you think?” Nicholas said. “Our father was not at all ordinary.”

“He was a very handsome man,” Katherine added.

“So you’re Irene’s children,” I said. “Don’t you have another sister?”

“Sissy,” Nicholas said. “It’s really Elisabeth but everyone calls her Sissy. It was too cold for her to be out today, and none of the servants was free to push her wheelchair.”

“Wheelchair?” I asked.

“She fell off her horse and broke her back,” Katherine said. “Now she can’t walk. It’s terribly boring for her.”

“Poor thing. It would be. Perhaps I can keep her company while I’m here.”

“Mummy wants to take her to Switzerland where there’s a good doctor, but Uncle Cedric says it would be a waste of time and cost too much money,” Katherine said. “I don’t think he likes us very much and he doesn’t really want us here.”

“I think it would be a waste of money too,” Nicholas said. “I mean, we all know she won’t walk again. The money should be spent sending me to a decent school.”

“What about me?” Katherine said. “I want to go to school too.”

“There’s no point in educating girls,” Nicholas said. “Uncle Cedric said so. They only get married and don’t do anything useful.”

“I’m as clever as you!” Katherine said. “In fact, I’m cleverer. Uncle Cedric is stupid.”

“Both of you stop talking such rubbish and hurry up,” the man said. “Or your grandmother will blame me again. And she’ll make you go without your pudding.”

They ran on ahead at this dire news. The man gave me an embarrassed grin and held out his hand. “I’m Carter, the tutor, my lady. They’ve been running wild for years before I was engaged. No sense of discipline or decorum, and hopelessly uneducated. You’ve heard the family history, I suppose. Their mother dotes on them. Their father alternately spoiled them and ignored them, and of course then deserted them. So it’s no wonder that Nick’s such a confused little boy. His uncle, the duke, isn’t exactly helping to provide a good male role model. So I’m trying to do what I can, but it’s uphill work.”