“To ride – ?” she began and then remembered Dipa. “I am afraid that His Highness has never ridden a horse.”

“His Lordship thought of that,” the footman answered. “He suggested that he take the little boy in the front of his saddle. He said his father used to do that when he was a child.”

“It would be rather exciting,” Carina said.

She hesitated a moment and then impulsively made up her mind.

“Tell his Lordship that we would like to come very much. What time will he be ready?”

“He is ready now, if it comes to that,” the footman answered. “He was just goin’ through the hall when he told me to come up here and ask you if you would accompany him.”

“Tell his Lordship we will be down in ten minutes,” Carina said, “and – tell him that I have ridden all my life, so he need not worry about what sort of horse he chooses for me.”

She paused and felt that that did not sound very respectful.

“No, no – !” she cried, but it was too late, the footman had already gone.

Feeling like a child who had been promised a special treat, she hurried into her bedroom and flung open the wardrobe door.

Her clothes, which had been unpacked the day before, were hung up there together with her mother’s beautiful gowns. They fluttered as the door opened as if they were almost alive and wanted somehow to end their imprisonment in the dark wardrobe.

Her habit was hanging in the far corner and she snatched it down eagerly.

How long it was since she had last ridden, galloping over the fields at Claverly, the morning sun on her face, the birds singing above her, the scent of field flowers and her horse moving in perfect unison with her will and at the command of her little hands!

She had wanted to ride when they had been in London, but there had been no money.

“You will miss your horses, darling,” she could hear her mother’s voice, soft and tired, saying from the sofa where she had lain.

“I would much rather be with you,” Carina had told her.

“I wish – ” but her mother had shaken her head and bitten back the words that had come to her pale lips.

She had never criticised anyone and never complained at the unhappiness that had come upon them.

“Where we go?” Dipa was asking, scampering about the nursery.

“You are going to ride a big horse,” Carina called through the half-open door as she slipped into her habit.

He did not seem to understand and she contented herself with changing at lightning speed and then putting Dipa into the long trousers of his sailor suit and the tightly buttoned little red coat, which really became him better than anything else.