‘I’m going to be a scullery maid one day, sir.’

‘A worthy ambition,’ Piers said solemnly. ‘I see you are learning to read.’

‘Yes, sir. If I can read and write I might be a lady’s maid when I’m older.’

‘You’re doing very well, Nancy,’ Rosalind said, smiling. ‘Can you remember how to get to the kitchen?’

‘Yes, Mrs Blanchard.’

‘Then I want you to find Tilly and ask her to bring coffee and cake to the morning parlour. There are three of us, and tell Cook I said you may have a glass of milk and a biscuit.’

Nancy puffed out her chest. ‘I’ll go now.’ She raced to the door and let herself out into the hallway.

‘I hope you know what you’re doing, Rosie.’ Piers stood with his back to the fire. ‘You look as if you need a rest. I think you’ve been doing too much.’

‘I don’t know why Rosie should be tired,’ Patricia said crossly. ‘We’ve been on the road for the best part of three days. I’m exhausted, and now I’ll have to unpack my clothes because I haven’t got a lady’s maid. Aurelia has Grainger to wait on her.’

‘You can ask Tilly to help you, or I will.’ Rosalind eyed her sister curiously. ‘You can tell me what you’ve been doing at Trevenor. I don’t suppose Piers wants to listen to gossip.’

‘Leave all that until later.’ Piers patted the chair nearest to him. ‘Why don’t you sit down, Rosie? Tell us what’s been happening here. Is there anything I need to know?’

Rosalind did as he asked, but she could not bring herself to give him the good news while Patricia was in the room, and she launched into a detailed account of all the tenants she and Hester had visited.

Later that day Rosalind had changed for dinner and was seated at the dressing table putting the finishing touches to her coiffure when Piers emerged from his dressing room.

‘You look lovely, Rosie.’

She turned to meet his gaze with a nervous smile. ‘You asked me earlier if there was anything you needed to know.’

He nodded. ‘Yes, I did and you assured me that everything was going well.’

‘As I told you earlier, the tenants are taken care of and all the rents are paid.’

‘I meant with you, not the tenants. We pay Lambert to manage the estate.’

‘I’m well, Piers.’

He sat down on the edge of the bed. ‘I wasn’t my old self for a long time after the accident and my subsequent illness. I’m afraid I neglected you rather when we returned from France.’

‘You were still recuperating, Piers. I understood.’

‘I realise that I’ve concentrated too much on the business, and probably not enough on taking care of you. You know that I love you, don’t you, Rosie?’