Edith, too, seemed to want to try Gina’s patience to its limits with her fussing and her numerous requests. Would Gina please take Coco for a walk? Please would Gina pass this morning’s letters, and where was the letter opener? Please would Gina telephone Fowler’s shop and ask for some of those plain biscuits to be delivered with this week’s order? Please would Gina sort through those magazines and see if she could find that picture of the dress with the sailor collar that Edith had in mind to have copied …?

It was on the tip of Gina’s tongue to snap back, but then she realised the impatience was all of her own making and these simple tasks were exactly what she was employed to do. And as for telephoning Fowler’s shop, that was the perfect opportunity to be making another phone call.

‘I’ll make the phone call to Fowler’s first, shall I?’ said Gina, getting up to look for the book in which Edith had noted down all the telephone numbers she used.

‘Oh, no hurry about that particularly. I think Coco would like his walk now, dear,’ said Edith. ‘He’s been quite noisy this morning and it’s set my head pounding. Please take him for a good long one and he and I will both feel better for it by lunchtime.’

Gina was beginning to think she’d never get to telephone James, especially as she’d just spotted Edith’s personal directory on the little table beside her. There would be no sneaking it out unnoticed. Then she had to ask about the food so Mrs Bassett could get on with preparing it, and go down to deliver the answers. By the time she set out with Coco on a long walk, she felt as if she had been wrung out, and she still hadn’t even had a chance to speak to James.

If something was missing, would he even believe her that the parcel had been damaged, possibly deliberately? Maybe he’d think she had taken the things herself and made up the story. Gina felt even more anxious now. James Stellion was so attractive, but there was an unknown aspect to him. He certainly couldn’t be trusted, of course. As it was, she thought they needed each other equally, although she suspected he knew a lot more about her than she did about him, which gave him the upper hand. And he was the Stellions’ son and always would be, whereas she could be replaced at the Hall. For her own sake, she wouldn’t want to fall out with James.