‘I’m glad you’re happy, Miss,’ Nora said. ‘Everyone’s looking forward to tomorrow. The children are starting to get excited now.’

‘Good. Actually, I think we all deserve a bit of excitement with everything that’s going on in the world. Who knows where we’ll be this time next year?’ The housekeeper nodded and they talked through the arrangements for the islanders’ Christmas party, which would be held the following day. It was an annual tradition, going back as long as Hilaria could remember – presents for the children in the afternoon, followed by an early supper at the castle and a concert with 22music and carols down in the village – and, if she was honest, she enjoyed it more than the more formal celebrations on Christmas Day. ‘As you know, we’re doing things differently this year,’ she said. ‘There’ll be twelve guests for the Christmas weekend, including a photographer from The Times, and they should all be here by teatime on Christmas Eve. Most of them are strangers to the Mount, so it’s important that we put them at their ease from the moment they arrive, whilst offering them every possible luxury. None of them will be bringing staff, so here’s a list of the ladies who’ll need looking after.’ She pushed the piece of paper across the desk, waiting for the surprise to register on the housekeeper’s face when she read the name at the top, but her reaction was not the one that Hilaria had anticipated. ‘Is there a problem, Mrs Pendean?’

‘Not at all, Miss. I’ll make sure they’ve got everything they need.’

‘Of course you will, but I thought you might show a little more enthusiasm for the task? It’s not every day we have a film star for dinner.’ She waited, determined to have an explanation for the housekeeper’s apparent disapproval. ‘Well? What’s wrong?’

‘I don’t want to speak out of turn, Miss.’

‘Please, Mrs Pendean, just say what you feel.’

‘All right, then. It’s nothing to do with her being a film star, Miss, it’s where she comes from. You said it yourself – with everything that’s going on in the world, I’m not sure the staff will take too kindly to waiting on a German.’

Her boldness surprised Hilaria even more than the sentiment, but it was a common reaction and she wondered in hindsight why she had never considered it. ‘Can I remind you, 23Mrs Pendean, that the poor children we’re raising money for are also Germans? There are plenty of people in that country who are just as horrified by what’s going on there as we are – more so, perhaps, because it’s their homeland. I hope I can rely on you all to treat every guest in this house with courtesy and respect, no matter where he or she comes from?’

‘Of course, Miss.’

‘Good. Now tell Mrs White that I need her menus for the whole weekend by midday. That will be all.’

The dismissal was uncharacteristically brusque, and she regretted it before the housekeeper was halfway across the room. ‘Oh, Mrs Pendean,’ she added, calling her back. ‘I noticed when I was in church on Sunday that one of the figures in the nativity is damaged. Will you take it down to Mrs Soper and ask her to make sure it’s mended by Christmas Eve? The church always looks spectacular at this time of year, thanks to you, and our guests will love it. It’s what Christmas is about, after all.’