Hélène was very happy to comply with this dictum. It accorded very well with the plan she and Annette had in mind for the future. Indeed, this might be the right moment to make the suggestion to her mother.

She drew a deep breath and said, ‘I was wondering, Maman, if Yvette might train Annette as a lady’s maid – then when I get married, I shall be able to take her with me into my new home,’ adding as an afterthought, ‘wherever that happens to be.’

‘Maybe,’ replied her mother. ‘I’ll think about it. It would mean employing another housemaid in her place. Your sister didn’t have a maid until she was married. And you know,’ she went on, ‘Annette might not want to become a lady’s maid.’

‘No, maybe not,’ Hélène said, ‘but we could ask her, couldn’t we?’

‘I’ll think about it,’ repeated her mother.

And think about it she did. When she had left home to marry Emile she had brought her beloved Marie-Jeanne with her and knew how much she had helped her in the transition from young, blushing bride to mistress of a household. Even now, after nearly seven years, the thought of Marie-Jeanne could bring tears to her eyes, her brave and loyal nurse who had been killed trying to protect Hélène during the war in Paris. She had no idea if Hélène was going to marry this charming Englishman, but if she did, how much easier it would be to have an old friend and companion with her, particularly if Rupert decided that they should live across the Channel.

*

Rupert did not sleep well that night. He kept going over and over his interview with Emile St Clair, wondering if there had been anything further he could have said or done to tip the balance in his favour. For he realised that Emile’s answer was, indeed, very much in the balance. What was he going to do if his suit was turned down and he was not allowed to see Hélène? It didn’t bear thinking about and yet he could think of nothing else. As the dawn light crept between the curtains, he finally drifted off into an uneasy doze, only to wake an hour or so later with the same question terrorising his mind. He had breakfast sent up to his room and then he allowed Parker to shave him, afraid his own hand might shake. He dressed with care and in a hired chaise had himself driven out to Belair.

This time he was shown into the drawing room, where he found both Hélène’s parents waiting for him. Rosalie greeted him with a smile, and when he had shaken her hand, he turned to her husband.

‘Good day, m’sieur,’ he said.

Emile returned his greeting and then wasted no time in coming to the point. ‘Monsieur Chalfont,’ he said, ‘I have given great thought to what you proposed to me yesterday, and with certain caveats, I am prepared to allow you to visit my daughter as a suitor, but I must emphasise that this will not lead to a formal engagement for some time.’