Agathe had, indeed, been a great success. Rosalie found herself relying on her more and more. The running of the house had become much smoother and more efficient since the departure of Madame Choux. Annette was now being trained by Yvette to be Hélène’s personal maid. Lizette had blossomed under Agathe’s strict but fair tutelage and, less afraid of her own shadow, worked hard in her new capacity as housemaid.

Rosalie rang the bell and Agathe Sauze was soon knocking on the parlour door.

‘You wanted me, madame?’

‘I just wanted to go over the arrangements for tomorrow evening, our welcome dinner for young Monsieur and Madame Barrineau.’ She said the names with a smile, as describing Clarice and Lucas in these terms still pleased her. Briefly Rosalie ran through the guest list: Clarice and Lucas, of course, and Lucas’s parents and sister. Louise could not be left out of her sister’s homecoming celebrations, but she and Lucie, much of an age, would be surely be glad of each other’s company. After some thought she’d added Simon Barnier to the list to balance her table, and now she passed the seating plan to Agathe.

‘Oh, and there’s a letter for you in this morning’s post, Madame Sauze.’ She held out the envelope, which Agathe took and pushed into her pocket, wondering who might be writing to her here. Fleur? But at first glance the script on the envelope was not familiar.

Having been thus dismissed by Madame St Clair, Agathe retired to the kitchen, where Lizette was just making the staff’s mid-morning coffee. As the gardener, the stable lad and Pierre came in from the outside, she picked up her own coffee and went into her little sitting room to drink it in peace as she opened her unexpected letter. It clearly wasn’t from Fleur – it was not her handwriting, and anyway, over the last few weeks her brief letters had arrived less frequently. Agathe had been planning to travel to Paris on her next free day to see how her sister was, but somehow the time to spend a day away from Belair had never been right, and while she was new to the post Agathe had no intention of jeopardising her position.

She set her cup down and withdrew the letter from her pocket. The envelope gave no clue as to who had sent it. She slit it open and pulled out the single sheet of paper it contained. There was a name and address across the top – a firm of lawyers in Paris – written in black ink and a letter in the same ink.

Dear Madame Sauze

It is with regret we have to inform you of the sudden death of your sister Fleur Bastien on 23rd August. At her written request, in case of her death, we have contacted you as next of kin and have to tell you that you are the sole legatee named in her will, which was signed and witnessed in our offices on 1st August 1877.