She paused for breath, and then said, ‘Jollier news is that the de Falbes are patrons of the County Ball and it is being held here tomorrow night. Because he has typhoid, poor Georgie is going to miss out on it, but Eddy isn’t. He will be arriving later today. Have you heard that Marie-Louise’s marriage to Aribert is a disaster? Georgie says it’s not surprising, seeing as how Aribert is a pansy. I’ve never really understood about pansies, have you? What is it they do? No one will tell me. Not even Georgie.’

May didn’t know, either, and at the moment her curiosity about it was nil. All she could think of was that within hours she would see Eddy again and that, as there was to be a full-scale ball tomorrow evening, he would almost certainly dance with her, even if only out of good manners.

It was late afternoon when Eddy arrived. Seeing May across a crowded room, he gave her an acknowledging nod and then, dashingly handsome in his Hussar uniform, strolled off in the direction of the billiard room in the company of Christle, Marie-Louise’s brother.

Nothing could have shown her more plainly that, with his battle to marry Hélène over, she was of no further interest to him and, to her horror, tears stung the backs of her eyes. Appalled and aware that she needed privacy fast, May walked swiftly out of the room, heading in the direction of the conservatory. It was a pretty place, full of hothouse flowers and potted palms and twittering birds in wicker cages.

With hot tears glittering on her eyelashes, she sat down beneath a palm tree in one of the conservatory’s many cane chairs, telling herself she was a complete fool. Twenty-four was far too old to be still in the throes of a first crush, especially when it was such a hopeless one. All she could be thankful for was that no one knew about it, not even Maudie.

Why, she asked herself, should she have hoped that Eddy would immediately seek her out? It had been idiotic of her. What she had to do was accept the situation as it was – and the sooner she did so, the better.

Only after she had smoked three cigarettes did she return to the drawing room, looking so perfectly composed that no one could have guessed how her pleasure in the weekend had ended the moment Eddy had barely acknowledged her and then turned his back on her.

The next day she didn’t accompany the shooters, for she disliked seeing birds shot for sport, but, accompanied by Maudie and several other female guests, she did join them for lunch. If Eddy was aware of her presence, he showed no sign of it and she told herself she was beginning not to care.