‘That’ – he flicked one eye back to the pavilion – ‘is Lady Elizabeth Bligh, Lord Darnley’s girl. The family keeps her well under wraps as a rule.’

‘Hard to blame them,’ Cassy retorted.

‘Now, now.’ George sounded quite stern. ‘First rule of flirting: don’t be a cat about your own sex. A fellow can’t bear all that stuff.’

‘Really? How more than extraordinary. Are not men odd, Mary?’

‘For what is left then to talk about?’ Mary replied.

‘There!’ George smiled down at Mary. ‘More like it – the old witty riposte, eh? Good dash of humour. Nothing outrageous, mind.’ He shot Cassy a look. ‘Just a quick line, the odd joke: raise a smile. Chaps rather go for it.’

‘Not all of them, surely, Mr Knight?’ Mary was considering her father. Did he laugh? She could not now recall.

‘The modern chap, I mean.’ He leaned on his bat as if upon a lectern, clearly enjoying the professorial role. ‘We’re a quite different breed from our forebears, you know. And it’s us you should be aiming for, after all.’

‘Oh, darling, you are marvellous!’ Cassy clapped her hands with great glee. ‘What else, what more?’

‘Heaven’s sake, you are my sister! Flirting with you – ugh! It’s almost unseemly.’ George sounded quite cross. ‘But if you insist upon forcing my hand, I shall flirt with Miss Knatchbull and you shall watch on.’ He cleared his throat, dropped his eyes, pressed bat into turf and looked up with a smile. ‘And what brings you to our little match today, madam?’

‘She lives here, you fool!’

‘Cassandra!’ George admonished her, then turned back to Mary.

‘Oh, sir,’ Mary said sweetly, getting into her part. ‘To my enormous regret, I must confess that my knowledge of cricket is quite pitiful. And yet, and yet’ – she looked into his eyes – ‘I find myself deeply intrigued. What I lack is a master – one with the patience to explain all and in full. I wonder, can I ever hope to find such a one?’

In an instant, George appeared to forget their charade, sat down by her side, and began to explain. ‘So we call that the wicket.’

‘How perfectly charming!’ Mary cried. ‘Is that with an “h” or without it? I shall write it all down in my journal this evening.’

Thus encouraged, he continued to outline the details for some minutes more. Mary was increasingly baffled. There seemed to be a great stress on refreshments for something she had thought of as sport. Was that why they liked it? ‘Chaps’ were fond of their food, that much she did know.

A call came from the field, and he suddenly stood. ‘I’m in.’ With new purpose, he strode towards the field, then stopped and turned. ‘You will watch, madam?’

‘Oh, Mr Knight!’ She made a stab at a musical laugh. ‘I am already entranced.’