When he had waved them off he went to his own quarters which were at the back of the house overlooking the sweeping grounds and pleasure gardens, which in turn led to carefully controlled woodland and a large lake with a sprawling summerhouse and boathouse. In the summer his mother liked to have garden parties there. She was a great one for entertaining, he thought a trifle cynically. They had their own farm on the estate which kept them supplied with everything they required but this was tucked well away from the main house so no animal noises or smells invaded his mother’s delicate senses.

His father’s valet, who also looked after him when he was home on leave, had laid out his evening clothes on his bed, and now he changed into the formal attire his mother insisted on for dining even when it was just the three of them. ‘One has to maintain standards at all times’ was one of her stock phrases and he’d heard it since his childhood.

He had been a trial to his poor mother, he thought ruefully as he checked his reflection in the mirror. She had come from the very top of the upper class, having connections with royalty, and had married beneath her to some extent when she had met his father, but it had been a love match. They were still in love thirty-five years later and his father worshipped the ground his mother walked on. He knew they would have liked more children after him, but when it hadn’t happened unfortunately his mother had poured the full extent of her maternal smothering on him.

The harshness of the thought made him feel guilty, not an uncommon occurrence where his mother was concerned. When he looked back over his life thus far he always seemed to have been rebelling against her in some way or another, and of course his father always supported her no matter what. It was good they were so devoted to each other on the one hand, and on the other it irritated him to death at times, but he had to admit that the feeling between them was what he wanted when he chose his own life partner.

He turned from the mirror but instead of going straight downstairs walked over to the large bay window. He drew back the heavy velvet drapes which the maid had closed earlier. The snow was falling more lightly now and the scene in front of him was a winter wonderland, its pure beauty making him catch his breath.