She and Alexander had had endless discussions – some face to face and some in the letters that they wrote to each other when he was away – about those things. He wanted her and Betsy to live at Highfield Hall until he left the army and could be with her all the time and for Betsy to have a governess rather than attend the local school, both of which she had refused to do. She had conceded that they would come and stay at the Hall when he was home on leave, but the rest of the time she intended to live in the little home she had created above the bakery. And she would keep on working, she’d made that plain too, and Betsy would carry on at the Consett school where all her friends were.

It made sense, she told herself as she walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on the hob to make a pot of tea. She knew Alexander was worried about the prospect of war looming in Europe with the arms race threatening to run out of control; it was the main reason he had agreed to continue in the army for the time being. The average person knew little of such things but Alexander’s privileged position made him only too aware that certain countries were boosting their peacetime armies. Whether war came or not, until she could be with Alexander all the time and they decided where their future lay, she didn’t intend to give up her hard-won independence and be isolated at Highfield Hall with William and Arabella. And Alexander had seen her point of view, up to a point. It would be an unusual state of affairs and no doubt eyebrows would be raised, but then they were an unusual couple in every respect and the gossip about them was rife anyway. With the reading of the banns at the local church, Daisy had told her with some glee that certain members of the community had been beside themselves.

‘I dunno what some of the old biddies will do for their dose of tittle-tattle if you and Alexander ever leave here,’ Daisy said, grinning. ‘It’d spoil all their fun.’

‘I’ll be sure to bear that in mind when Alexander and I make any decisions,’ said Rose drily.