‘Did you not know, Fan?’ Ned asked cheerily. ‘Lord Byron was lying in state, as they rather grandly termed it, in your very drawing room!’ Before adding, for clarity: ‘The late, great poet that is – not my good friend.’ He reached down to the dog – who, to popular surprise, was also invited to dinner – and stroked him. ‘Imagine the loss of this noble beast! Too tragic to—’

‘Sir Edward?’ Fanny turned to her husband in shock. ‘Surely my brother must be mistaken.’

‘Forgive me, my dear.’ Though he spoke to his wife with a voice under control, his eyes were on Ned. And Mary could see all the familiar signs of his fury. ‘I felt no need to bother you with this most trifling affair. It was no more than a commercial arrangement made with a highly respectable contact of mine.’

‘And one that stands greatly to your credit, Sir Edward.’ Ned supped at his wine. ‘In his lifetime, the famed nobleman was one of the most coveted guests in any society household. And to think: yours is the only one which can claim the great honour of having hosted the corpse.’

Fanny placed a hand on her bosom. ‘I shudder to think …’ She turned to Sir Edward. ‘That wicked creature! And I take it that this is common knowledge?’

Ned answered for him. ‘I should say so, old girl. You had half of London tramping through your front door. The queue snaked down right to the Park.’

Sir Edward glowered; Fanny paled. Mary and Cassy shared a look of astonishment. Of course they adored Lord Byron! How could they not? Dearest Miss Atkinson, their much-loved once-governess, had worshipped both the man and his verse. Naturally, the girls had no choice but to copy her.

‘To think, darling!’ Cassy whispered. ‘We have been in the same room!’

‘I can hardly believe it.’ A shiver shot down Mary’s spine.

Unfortunately, their hushed words came at a time of no conversation and, instead of ignoring them, Ned chose to reply.

‘And you may find, girls, that when you next go there, he is lingering still. After all, he died some months ago, then had to be carried by sea from Greece. So by the time he came to call at Number Twenty Great George Street’ – Ned put a finger beneath his aquiline nose and burst into laughter – ‘our national hero was not quite at his best.’

The next day, Sir Edward was, sadly, called away on some ‘business’ – though on the exact details of said business he was, oddly, vague. And whenever her husband was absent and she was back in the bosom of her own family, Fanny took the opportunity to relax her normally assiduous performance of the maternal role. All of which meant that Mary was able to run free, in the company of her Knight friends and within the confines of that lovely estate.