‘I trust you’ll visit us again before you go,’ remarked Louis Barrineau, adding with a wry grin, ‘I know my mother would be delighted to entertain you to coffee again.’

‘It’ll be my pleasure, sir,’ Rupert replied, and found he meant it.

‘No doubt you have business elsewhere, which will claim your attention,’ suggested Emile, ‘but I hope you will call upon us again before you depart.’

‘Thank you, monsieur, I shall certainly do so.’ Inwardly he smiled. Barnier’s rudeness had awarded him two invitations, which he was only too pleased to accept.

When the gentlemen returned to the drawing room, Rupert, seeing that Hélène was engaged in speaking with Suzanne Barrineau, crossed the room to the window where Georges and Sylvie were sitting.

‘I hope you will come and visit us at Versailles if you are passing that way, Monsieur Chalfont,’ Sylvie said. ‘Georges and I would be delighted to see you.’

‘That would give me great pleasure, madame,’ Rupert replied with a smile.

‘Then we shall expect you. My mother-in-law will give you our direction.’

It was Simon who suggested that Hélène might play for them, and it was he who followed her to the piano to turn the pages of her music. He glanced back at Rupert, who seemed to be paying little attention to Hélène. Perhaps the Englishman was no threat at all. Surely, from what he’d said, he would soon be gone and as quickly forgotten.

Shortly afterwards the Barrineaux got up to take their leave. Sylvie and Georges went across to make their farewells, and Rupert, thus released, made his way over to where Hélène still stood by the piano.

‘Mademoiselle Hélène,’ he said softly. ‘How charmingly you play.’

‘Thank you, monsieur, I always get pleasure from music.’

‘And I,’ he said. Glancing across to make sure they were not overheard, he went on, ‘I assume that was your maid with you in the village this afternoon.’

‘Yes,’ replied Hélène, ‘Annette. We were bringing her home, but,’ she confided, ‘I didn’t expect to see her waiting at table tonight. She’s very brave.’

‘She has your friendship to rely on,’ Rupert said. ‘That must be a great comfort to her.’

‘She has been a good friend to me in the past,’ answered Hélène.

Rupert realised that he might be intruding into something very private and so changed the subject. Across the room he could see that Simon had been captured by Lucie in conversation as he had bid the Barrineaux goodnight, so he said, ‘Your father has invited me to call again at Belair. Would it please you if I did so?’

He was rewarded with the faint blush that warmed Hélène’s cheeks. ‘Yes, monsieur, I know we should all be pleased to see you.’

Rupert inclined his head and gave her his lopsided smile. ‘Thank you,’ he said, ‘but you? I was asking about you.’

Hélène’s colour deepened, but she gave him a shy smile in return and replied, ‘It would please me if you visited us again, monsieur. You have been very kind.’