The horse’s hoofs seemed to beat the words into her brain and she realised that now at last she had burnt all her boats and was completely and absolutely on her own. At last she need think only of herself.

Nanny had not gone completely empty-handed to her brother and David would have a bed to sleep on and food to fill his stomach at Cousin Hubert’s – even if he was begrudged every mouthful.

“One day,” Carina whispered, “one day I shall have a home of my own and Nanny and David can come and live with me.”

It seemed to her in that moment as if she had made a prayer and the Heavens had answered her.

Because through the clouds the moon suddenly appeared and everything was bathed in silver light.

They had emerged from the trees of the drive and in front of them Carina saw The Castle, huge and awe-inspiring silhouetted against the sky, while the moonbeams turned the lake in front of it to molten silver.

They were passing over the bridge. Carina, bending forward, stared up at the great edifice rising higher and higher until at the very top was the castellated tower itself with an empty flagstaff.

It was then, with a frightened throb in her heart, that she realised there were no lights in any of the windows.

It was too late to do anything about it. She could only hope that somehow they could rouse a servant from his bed to let them in.

She felt a slight movement and heard Dipa murmur a few words in a strange language, which Carina guessed was Javanese. Then he rubbed his eyes with the knuckles of his small hands and let out a tremendous yawn.

He jabbered something, awoke properly and said in English,

“Where am I? Is it still night? It’s very dark.”

“We have arrived,” Carina said. “Look, there’s The Castle – The Castle where your father lives.”

She had talked to him in the train about where they were going and Dipa had been interested, although he had not seemed to understand the word ‘father’.

“Who this man – Lord Lynche?” he asked, having repeated the name after her several times.

“He is your father,” Carina explained. “His name is Lynche, like yours.”

“I Dipa,” the small boy had said with an irrepressible grin and Carina had given up the unequal task.

She had realised that he had only recently begun to learn English. In fact he had told her about a lady in Paris who had come to teach him every day and taken him for walks while she did so.

Carina had the impression that, after Lord Lynche had left Dipa’s mother, she had reverted to her native tongue when she had been with the child.