Hélène had been about to admit that she did not particularly like Simon Barnier and would prefer he was not invited, but when she heard Rupert Chalfont’s name added to the list, she said, ‘That sounds a lovely party, Maman.’

‘Good, I will send them all cards. And tomorrow, if Madame Sauze is going to visit Annette at a suitable time, you may go with her.’

Reconciliation made, Rosalie kissed her daughter on the cheek and went to change for dinner.

Hélène sat back onto the window seat. From the pocket of her dress she pulled out two damp linen handkerchiefs. They would need to be laundered, she supposed, and returned to their owner.

*

Their owner had walked back to Le Coq d’Argent, his mind busy with all he had heard that afternoon. Rupert had been alone with Hélène for only twenty minutes and yet that twenty minutes had changed everything. He had seen her in tears and listened as she poured out her heart to him, seemingly unaware of the impropriety of the situation, and in that time, sitting together on her cloak on the grass, they had become closer than several weeks of normal courtship could have brought them. She had spoken to him with no self-consciousness or artifice; she had simply said what was in her heart at the time and so had, unconsciously, revealed herself to him.

There was also the meeting with Simon Barnier. This was far more worrying. He had already heard from Louis Barrineau that Simon had wanted Clarice St Clair as his wife and was likely to transfer his attentions to Hélène, but he had not believed that Simon had any real claims upon her. Now, however, he might have to think again. Did Simon simply want her for the dowry that came with her? That might be another problem for Rupert himself – people could well believe that he was a fortune hunter, courting Hélène for her money.

By the time he had reached the inn, he had come to a decision. If he received the promised invitation to dine at Belair he would accept it, and after that, as someone who had been a guest in his house, he would go to Emile St Clair and ask permission to address his daughter. It would all be out in the open. There would be no secret assignations, no secret letters or messages, all of which had tended to be part of his flirtations up until now, because, he was clear in his own head, this would be no flirtation, it would be a serious proposal of marriage. Yes, he was a younger son, there would be no title, no large estate, but Rupert wasn’t entirely without money, and the name he would be offering was that of a landed family of ancient lineage. Surely, a professional man such as Emile St Clair would consider that heritage acceptable, particularly if Hélène clearly wanted the match herself – but therein lay the question: would she? It was up to him to ensure that she did.