‘And neither do I.’ To May’s vast relief, there was firm conviction in her mother’s voice. ‘Being her first cousin, I understand dear Victoria far better than anyone else, and I know, from my own experience, that she takes a surprisingly relaxed view where the subject of equal birth is concerned; far more relaxed than those of continental royalties. When I was about to marry your Papa, she wrote me a very kind letter in which she said she had always thought it wrong and absurd that because dear Papa’s mother was not a princess, he was unable to succeed to the Württemberg throne.’

‘And so do you think Frank and Maudie can be hopeful about getting permission to marry?’

‘I think they can be exceedingly hopeful, and I shall ask Papa to telegram dear Frank at his Royal Dragoons barracks, telling him so. For now I am going to send word by messenger to Aunt Queen asking her if I may visit her at her earliest convenience. Fetch me pen and paper, May. Oh dear, my poor old heart. It’s racing fit to burst!’

The next morning, and accompanied by May, Princess Mary Adelaide was happily en route to Windsor.

‘Papa is beside himself at the thought of having even closer family ties to the Waleses.’ She leaned out of the carriage to wave to a small group of children standing by the roadside, all of whom waved back enthusiastically. ‘With Frank married to Maudie, perhaps dear Victoria will finally agree to giving Papa the title of Royal Highness, which he so longs for.’

May made a polite sound to show sympathy with her mother’s hopes, but her thoughts weren’t on what advantages might come to her father if Frank and Maudie were allowed to marry; they were on Eddy.

She hadn’t seen him since he had returned from India a month ago, and because there had been no house parties recently that might have included the Parises, or any family weddings or christenings they may have been invited to, she couldn’t imagine when and where Eddy and Hélène had so recently fallen in love.

What was understandable, though, was Eddy having fallen in love with Hélène. She was beautiful, sweet-natured and possessed enviable French chic, wearing clothes with head-turning elegance and style. If they really were in love and married, Hélène, with her dark hair and dark eyes, would one day be the most ravishing queen England had ever had.

The prospect filled May with a turbulent mix of emotions: happiness that Eddy would be marrying someone he loved and who loved him in return, and painful regret that her most secret daydream would have to end.