Would Mary like to continue living at Godmersham, or did she long to return to her own home? Fanny did not know her well enough to even guess at the answer. What she ought to do, she knew, was lead the girl out of the schoolroom and spend the morning with her quite alone. And she determined to do so, but before that, there was the small matter of the new letter from dear Sir Edward.

As was so often the way in life, for the Lord is kind, the unfortunate timing of Sir Edward’s long business trip had turned out to be a great blessing. The terrible shyness which bedevilled Fanny when the couple met in person was no problem at all when she could hide behind her pen. Their correspondence had been honest from the beginning, and was now developing into something quite close to intimacy – romance, indeed. Her fiancé’s letters were now the highlight of Fanny’s long, busy days. She was beginning to approach something quite close to a version of a woman in love.

Fanny drifted into the familiar, friendly schoolroom, settled down in the nursing chair beneath the chart of the Kings and Queens of England and, with a warm glow of almost sensual anticipation, opened up the latest. The shock of its contents was such that she could not help but gasp out loud.

‘Fan! What on earth?’ It was Marianne who spoke, but all five pairs of startled, feminine eyes were upon her.

‘Sir Edward!’ gasped Fanny. ‘He says—’ She read it again. ‘No, he cannot possibly mean it!’

‘Has something happened to my papa?’ Mary Dorothea enquired in her expressionless way. Her interest in the matter seemed nothing beyond the mild or polite.

‘Oh my dear! Not at all. Pray, forgive me. I am overreacting. It is simply that’ – she spoke to the room – ‘Sir Edward has expressed his wish to be married as soon as possible.’

‘No!’ shrieked Marianne. ‘But how soon?’

Fanny went back to the letter, hands shaking as she read on. ‘Before Christmas, indeed.’ She turned over the page. ‘Oh, possibly even next month!’

Fanny suddenly felt just a little unwell, as if she had eaten something which now disagreed with her. Through the new buzzing in her ears, she picked up the distant sound of Louisa shouting: ‘Smelling salts! Now!’

And Cassy calling: ‘Nurse, someone fetch Nurse!’

And Fanny was about to protest that – No, no! – it was nothing serious. She was just being silly. Truly, she was perfectly fine.

Then she looked up and across. And saw Marianne, completely passed out on the floor.

Fanny was sitting in the calming, pale blue silk surroundings of her own private dressing room, sewing his monogram on to a cravat for Sir Edward, when Sayce stuck her head around the door and announced, ‘Madam, Miss Knatchbull.’