‘My name’s not Annette Dubois,’ she said. ‘Just Annette. I have never had a surname.’

‘Well, it won’t be long before you have mine,’ said Pierre, and he shared with her her first truly loving kiss.

*

Once Hélène had finally given in and accepted Simon as her future husband, all seemed to be well. The only stand she had to make, with the firm backing of her mother, was that Annette would move with her as her personal maid. Simon had vetoed this to start with, but Rosalie had said, ‘She needs a maid of her own.’ At which Simon had said, ‘And of course she may have one, but it will be a new household and I think it better that we start with entirely new staff.’

Rosalie appeared to relent. ‘I understand that,’ she said, ‘but marriage is a completely new way of life for a young girl and it would be comforting to have someone with whom she is at ease to look after her.’

Simon had given in, but with bad grace, saying, ‘Well, if you really think it’s that important, then of course she may bring her maid with her. I only want what will make Hélène happy.’

So, Rosalie was able to tell Annette that she would be moving to Gavrineau with Hélène. ‘I am sure you’ll want to move with her as her personal maid, Annette; she’ll feel less strange if she still has someone familiar living with her.’

‘I’m very happy to go with her, madame,’ Annette replied, and she truly meant it. She considered writing to Rupert and telling him what was happening, but when she consulted Pierre about the idea, he discouraged her.

‘There’s no point, my love,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing he can do. It’s too late. He’s married.’

Even so, Annette continued to think about Rupert. She was angry with him and he deserved to know that it was he who had caused Hélène to accept Simon Barnier’s proposal.

A few nights before the actual wedding, Simon cornered Annette in the corridor when he was visiting Hélène at Belair.

‘I hear you’re coming with Miss Hélène when she moves to Gavrineau,’ he said.

Annette lowered her eyes and murmured, ‘Yes, monsieur.’

‘Well, let me warn you, you’re there for the time being on sufferance. Just make sure you do nothing to jeopardise your position.’ He put his hand under her chin and tilted her head towards him. ‘Understand?’

‘Yes, monsieur,’ she whispered.

‘Well, I hope you do.’ He let her go and strode across the hall into the drawing room, where Hélène and her mother were waiting for him.

It was this encounter that convinced Annette as to what she should do, and that evening she set pen to paper and wrote to Mr Rupert Chalfont at Pilgrim’s Oak.

*

The wedding day drew nearer and Rosalie knew that she must have a very serious talk with Hélène before the big day. It was only six months since Hélène had begun her monthly courses and Rosalie had had to explain to her when Hélène, terrified, had come to her, fearing that she had some dreadful internal disease. ‘It happens to all women,’ Rosalie had said. ‘It means that you are ready for marriage, that you are old enough to bear children. This is one of the most important days of your life.’