‘Livvy, dear, please don’t be rude. Perhaps I should take you home,’ Timothy said, embarrassed. Her moods were getting on his nerves. He gestured an apology to Cordelia with a lift of his earth-brown brows. ‘Cordelia may be right. You’ve only been this way since that fellow suddenly lost interest in you.’

‘When did you meet George Spears?’ Olivia glared suspiciously at Cordelia. Something must have made him forsake her – had she found the reason? She hoped there was a reason, the not knowing why he had suddenly rejected her was humiliating and was destroying her confidence.

‘She hasn’t met him, only heard of him,’ Luke interjected, bored with the conversation.

‘I have met him actually,’ Cordelia said perkily. Unusually for her, she welcomed being the centre of attention. ‘I happened to be in the rose garden one morning, a few days ago, and he chanced upon me and was very rude indeed, utterly patronizing. I told him of it in no uncertain terms, and, in view of it, that he couldn’t possibly be of any help to you, Livvy.’

Cordelia waited for applause from all those around her, but before anyone could respond, Olivia leapt to her feet, sending wine glasses toppling and plates of food colliding in a noisy sequence. ‘How could you? How dare you! You deliberately offended George Spears and he will make sure no one ever takes my work seriously. He was my one chance of making a debut into the proper art world, no longer to be thought of as a stupid woman dabbling in painting at a whim to the neglect of her husband, and you, you sanctimonious little bitch, you’ve ruined it for me.’

Timothy jumped up and tried to stop the tirade, but Olivia thrust him away from her. ‘Look at you, preening yourself and believing you’re witty and worth a second glance, and what for? Luke hasn’t a clue that you’ve been in love with him for years, and he’d never want a plain-faced, child-woman anyway!’

Luke gasped in horror. Cordelia was in love with him? Too drunk to think past this astonishing revelation, he hung his head.

Humiliated beyond measure at Luke’s reaction to her long years of worshipping him and sobbing desperately, Cordelia made for the door.

Simultaneously, Timothy seized one of Olivia’s flailing arms. ‘That’s quite enough! Not another word from you. Home, lady. And tomorrow I’m bringing you back to beg your cousin for her forgiveness.’ Careful to keep his wife steady on her feet, he dragged her towards the door at the other end of the room. Olivia was now sobbing wretchedly too. Only the fact that her daughter was pregnant made Kerensa feel she must go to her rather than Cordelia.