And then came the horror. What had she done to him? Why could she not keep him alive? How was she to live with the shame? Her own mama had delivered eleven perfect children in rapid succession. Though she was not around now for Fanny to ask – the ‘success’, so to speak, having led to her tragic demise – when one looked at the calendar of family birthdays, it did not seem possible that any were missing. And Lizzie, her much younger sister, was already popping them out, comme il faut, in that pea-from-pod fashion. Producing just one, living baby became Fanny’s obsession.

Throughout that difficult time, Fanny tried hard not to forget her own good fortune in all other areas. The Lord was lavishly thanked, in her devout daily worship, for her kind, loving husband and large, prospering families spread around and about Kent. And she counted as a particular blessing the two treasures who were her strongest support.

First, the governess who devoted herself to the well-being of Mary Dorothea. Thanks to her, the girl seemed to be blossoming and that meant so much. Of course, Fanny’s most fervent wish was to spend as much time as possible with her dear little stepdaughter, but with all this unexpected unpleasantness, she could not quite find it in her at that particular juncture. Though she did pride herself on being one of life’s copers, even women like her did have their limit.

And then Marianne: dear Marianne. What a success she had made of running Godmersham since Fanny had left it. Their papa, the younger siblings and all the servants seemed completely contented under her management. Fanny had not heard a peep of complaint. It would be simply too much if she had to deal with her health and all those children and houses.

So as well as her Lord, Fanny thanked both her sister and the governess as often as the opportunity arose. She made sure they were both keenly aware how important they were to her in this difficult period. Neither could be under any illusion. And yet, and yet … even then, they could not be relied upon.

Marianne was the first to cause problems. It was early May 1822, Fanny had recently suffered a second, most unfortunate event and Dr Maton recommended some weeks in Leamington to take the waters. Of course, Sir Edward was too busy to accompany her – Fanny marvelled at Sir Edward’s constant busyness. It was a privilege to be the support by his side – and therefore other companions had to be chosen.