The platters were piled high with meat pies, sausage rolls, thick juicy slices of roast beef and pork with crisp crackling. Dora Sloan was heard to complain that she might break another tooth but that did not seem to stop her from taking several slices of pork and a great dollop of apple sauce. There were mounds of crusty bread rolls, freshly baked that morning. Kate had smelled the delicious aroma when she awakened. Martha must have been working since the early hours to produce such a feast with only Ivy and Tilly to help her. Despite her dislike for children and her tendency to grumble about everything, Martha was a hard worker and she put her heart and soul into her cooking. The result was obvious as the wedding guests, having demolished most of the savoury offerings, stuffed themselves with cake and plied the young children with shivery red jellies and silky white blancmange.

Giles Pomeroy-Smith and Perry joined in, taking their meal with the villagers, but Arabella, Lady Lyndon and Annie remained in the drawing room, and there was no sign of Ivy or her husband. The children had sensed that something was going on and reluctantly Kate had sent them to the winter parlour. They had emerged joyfully, but also very hungry and were now seated on the stairs, eating off one plate, with May making sure that the younger ones had their fair share. Kate took the opportunity to go upstairs to her bedroom where she rifled through the clothes press in the dressing room, going through Harry’s things in search of suitable garments for Ted. She unfolded each item, holding it close to her cheek and inhaling the faint scent that would always remind her of Harry. Their relationship had gone through many changes since they met less than a year ago; her initial distrust of him had given way to grudging liking, and that had deepened into something more. She could not put her finger on her exact feelings for Harry Lyndon, but his parting kiss still burned her lips.

The smoky, peaty scent of his old tweed jacket brought unexpected tears to her eyes. Harry was heading into danger, not only from the hazardous sea voyage, but also from any pockets of insurgents that he might come across in India. The newspapers had published articles declaring that the rebellion had been crushed, but Kate was wary of believing everything she read in print. She folded the items she had chosen into a bundle, and closed the door on the dressing room – that was Harry’s domain and one day he would come home to reclaim his position as master of the house. Even so, she wished that he was here now to share Christmas with them.