‘Can you do those things outside?’ asked the Duke.

The Duchess nodded. ‘Oh yes. Fresh air is so good for them.’

‘I don’t see why not.’ Marion improvised again. ‘We can do some nature study at the pond, watching the frogspawn grow into frogs. We can take the paints outside, look at maps of the world. Just to get them both ready for when they go to school.’

The Duchess stopped her. ‘But as I said earlier, they won’t be going to school.’

Marion had not fully realized that they would never go to school. ‘I thought that perhaps by the time they were about eleven or twelve you might want them to experience school life, make friends. It really would be a wonderful opportunity for them.’

The Duchess smiled stiffly. ‘No.’

Marion took a larger sip of her gin and tonic; it seemed to be warming her veins. ‘So they will always be taught at home?’

‘Yes.’ The Duke smiled. ‘It is royal tradition.’

The Duchess visibly relaxed and put her hand on her husband’s knee. ‘We just want them to be happy.’

Chapter Five

Royal Lodge, Windsor, July 1932

Dear Mother,

I am so sorry that I haven’t made it back home yet. I find myself in rather a difficult situation. The Duke and Duchess have said nothing about finding my replacement, although they know I have to be back in time for the start of term. They brush the question away when I try to ask.

If only I already had my degree, I would be happy to stay here. The girls are lovely wee lassies and I am growing so fond of them. We have such fun together and our routine is establishing nicely.

I must say that, as much as I enjoy living in London during the week, I am always very glad when we decamp to Windsor and Royal Lodge on a Friday night for the weekend. The Duke and Duchess are so relaxed when we are there. Just like any other young couple, they sit by the fire after dinner and listen to the wireless. We get very few interruptions of visitors. Unlike 145 Piccadilly, where the front door bell seems to ring constantly.

Last weekend, who do you think just ‘dropped in’ from Windsor Castle? The King and Queen!

Mr Ainslie gave us all fair warning and dear Maria (you remember, the housemaid?) ran to my room with an especially pressed shirt for me (the pink cotton). We, the entire household, lined up on the drive, either side of the front door, checking our nails and hair. When the royal car swooped onto the gravel we were all flapping a little – apart from Mr Ainslie, of course, who remained utterly unflapped.

As their Majesties were helped from the car, I swear that the very air felt changed, as if there was gold on the breeze. They shone so brightly.

Even the Duke and Duchess seemed in awe. If it wasn’t for those two wee Princesses curtseying nicely then bounding about their grandparents, tugging on the King’s sleeves like puppies, I think we would all have stood there, just staring, for hours.