For Margaret, though she grew up in such a closeted and constrained world, there must have been any number of occasions when such a free-spirited, irreverent young woman would want to kick over the traces, to make mischief, to say or do something outrageous. Her close friend Princess Louise shared her desire for independence and her exuberant sense of humour. I found it very easy to imagine the two of them at Windsor Castle, their laughter echoing in the corridors as they plotted and schemed to find ways around the strict protocol enforced by an army of courtiers. At a formal dinner, for example, where Margaret, late to the table, was seated by a notoriously tedious courtier, I pictured Princess Louise, more happily ensconced, finding a way to tease her, to make her laugh, while keeping her own expression suitably po-faced.

Princess Louise of course was much more savvy than Lady Margaret, and had a strong sense of self-preservation which my heroine lacked. Louise was ambitious, and adroit at playing the aristocratic game, knowing just how to keep on the right side of court rules and to use them to her advantage if necessary. Margaret was too honest and too straightforward. She did what no lady of breeding should do: she wore her heart on her sleeve. She refused to keep her opinions and her thoughts to herself, and by doing so, she broke some of the implicit rules of court life that still prevail today. At the opening of the book, when she very publicly made her feelings known by refusing to marry the man her parents carefully selected for her, she committed a heinous crime. A woman was the property of her father, until she became the property of her husband. Margaret’s father, the duke, had almost no choice but to exile her in order to preserve his own good name. When she dragged that good name through the mud in the press, albeit through no fault of her own, their relationship never recovered. When Margaret was intent on publicly refuting the smears to her reputation, her parents were appalled by her naivete. No comment was the only permitted response in this case, even though a comment or two might have helped enormously. Undaunted, my Lady Margaret bounced back and tried to redeem herself by embracing the business of marriage.