Christmas was a time for happiness and a wedding was always a joyous occasion, or nearly always. Kate remembered seeing a wedding party in Delhi where the bride and groom had not met until the day of the ceremony. She had noted the bowed head of the young girl, and she had seen tears falling onto the small, tightly clasped hands. Neither Seth Goodfellow nor his intended were in the first flush of youth, but it was obvious that they cared for each other deeply, and Kate was happy for them. She wanted their special day to be remembered for all the right reasons, and she worked hard to make it happen.

The house was decorated with boughs of holly and swags of ivy trimmed with scarlet ribbons. Vases were filled with late chrysanthemums that had survived the first frosts, and a huge Christmas tree occupied the entrance hall, reaching almost to the ceiling. The children had decorated it with brightly coloured glass balls and as much tinsel as they could lay their hands on. Frankie and May had made a silver star and Bob, the stable boy, fetched a ladder from an outside store. Balancing precariously, and cheered on by the children, he fixed the star to the top of the tree.

To add to the excitement, two days before the wedding it had started to snow. A light dusting covered the ground and iced the bare branches of the trees. Perry had joined the family for Christmas, much to Annie’s delight, and Kate could not wait to get him on his own. He had barely taken off his greatcoat, hat and gloves when she managed to corner him before he made his way to the drawing room.

‘Perry, I want a word with you,’ Kate said urgently.

He came to a halt. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing, or at least I hope everything is going well. Have the police caught Monks and his gang?’

‘A couple of his men have been apprehended and are awaiting trial, but Monks himself is a slippery character. He’s yet to be detained.’

‘What do you know of Harry?’

He eyed her warily. ‘It all depends on what you mean?’

‘Don’t play games with me, Perry. You must know that he was released early.’

‘Can we talk about this later?’ Perry glanced over her shoulder. ‘Your mother is on the staircase. I doubt if you want her to know your business.’

‘All right. Later then, but I want the full story from you, Perry. I don’t like being kept in the dark.’

‘Always so impatient.’ He patted her on the shoulder as he retraced his steps towards the staircase. ‘Lady Martin, how charming you look today. Country air seems to suit you so well.’

Arabella descended the last three steps with the grace of long practice. ‘Perry, how lovely to see you. Are you spending the whole of Christmas with us?’