“I agree with you and Heaven knows our Ambassador did everything he could to prevent it.”

“Not very successfully!” Yamina answered and there was a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

“The Russians were impossible!” Lord Castleford exclaimed. “After all, it was they who bombarded Sinope on the South coast of the Black Sea, destroying a Turkish Squadron.”

“Perhaps they had reason,” Yamina suggested.

“Reason?” Lord Castleford ejaculated sharply. “The conflict at Sinope was more like a slaughter than a battle, rather what you have just seen in the Bazaar on a smaller scale.”

Yamina did not speak and after a moment he went on,

“The excellent behaviour of the Turkish land forces aroused the sympathy and admiration of Europe. You cannot be surprised that last year Great Britain and France declared war on Russia.”

“All war is wrong and wicked!” Yamina said violently.

Lord Castleford smiled.

“That is a woman’s point of view. Sometimes war means justice and that is what we are seeking in our support of the Turks.”

“I only hope that the men on both sides who are being killed in the effort appreciate what you are doing for them,” Yamina remarked.

Now there was no doubt that she was being sarcastic.

“You do not sound as if you are whole-heartedly in support of your countrymen and mine in this war which, I would remind you, started originally from a dispute over the Guardianship of the Holy places in Jerusalem.”

“That question was settled two years ago,” Yamina said sharply.

Lord Castleford was surprised that she was so knowledgeable.

There was a faint smile on his lips as he added,

“I agree the question was settled by the British, Russian and French Ambassadors. But then, as doubtless you know, the Russian Ambassador, Menshikov, demanded further Russian rights that could not be acceded to by the Turks.”

Lord Castleford’s voice was cold as he went on,

“He was very aggressive and, in my opinion, he was determined to force Turkey into a humiliating position.”

“Do you really think that – we can win this war?” Yamina asked in a low voice and there was just a little pause before the word ‘we’, which Lord Castleford noticed.

“I am certain we can!” he replied. “Our troops have suffered acutely during the winter months in the Crimea, but now at last we are becoming more organised and I do not think it will be long before the Czar asks for our peace terms.”

Yamina was silent and they rode on.

The sunshine was warm on their faces and the scent of the flowers mingled with the soft salt breeze blowing in from the sea.

She was very light against Lord Castleford’s arms and he knew that this was due entirely to her poise and grace, which made her sit on a saddle without a pommel as if it was no effort at all.

“Do you often ride yourself?” he asked, following the trend of his thoughts.