‘Neither is my mother, I’m sorry to say. She is determined to put her mark on the festivities and she’s sending Coaker to cut down two fir trees and as much holly and ivy as he can find. Mama wants the Christmas decorations. Do you remember where we stored them last year?’

‘Yes, of course. I supervised it myself because I wanted it done properly.’ Hester shot a sideways glance in Rosalind’s direction and smiled. ‘All right, I know what you’re thinking, but in this instance it’s a good thing because I expect I’m the only one who knows that they are tucked away in the top room of the north tower. I’ll fetch them now.’

Rosalind laid a restraining hand on Hester’s plump arm. ‘No, you won’t. I’ll go, and I’ll take Tilly and Molly with me. The girls can carry the boxes and I’ll supervise.’

‘Do you want me to lock myself in the linen cupboard until your mother leaves for her next engagement?’

‘Don’t be cross, Hester. It was your idea to keep out of the way. I wanted you to take your rightful place, if you recall.’

Hester bowed her head. ‘Yes, I’m sorry. But I knew that your mama would not approve and I didn’t want to spoil Patricia’s wedding preparations with a family disagreement.’

‘The truth is that the wedding might have to be postponed.’

‘Postponed? Why?’

‘Claude showed me a newspaper article reporting a serious incident involving a troop ship. We don’t know if Bertie and Alex were on board, but there were serious injuries and the survivors were taken ashore in the north of France.’

Hester frowned thoughtfully. ‘But that’s just supposition, Rosalind. They might be on their way home and have been delayed by the snow.’

‘Yes, that’s right, which is why we haven’t told Patsy. But as each day passes it gets more and more likely that they won’t arrive in time for the wedding.’

‘There is still a week to go before the ceremony, although the guests who are staying here will start arriving very soon.’

‘Yes, that’s true and the rooms are ready. Everything depends on the state of the roads. I don’t want to panic, but if Bertie and Alex were on that ship …’

‘Best not to think that way, poppet. Perhaps your mama is right after all, and we should concentrate on making the castle as festive as possible. I’ll get the younger ones to assist me in putting up the swags of holly and ivy, and perhaps you can persuade Patsy to help you decorate the tree. We must keep ourselves occupied and hope for the best.’