‘Of course it hasn’t. I’m quite well now and we’re home at Rockwood, although heaven knows what state the business is in. I’ll need to travel to Cornwall at the first opportunity to check that Pedrick has been coping during my absence.’

‘All in good time,’ Rosalind said gently. ‘But first you need to rest and recover from the journey. You know that the doctor said you were to take matters very easily for a while.’ If she had thought that coming home would make things easier, she realised now that they still had a long way to go. Piers was jealous of his brother and he made that very clear. No matter how hard Rosalind tried to convince him that there was nothing between herself and Alex, she was aware that her husband sensed the change in their relationship.

‘I was talking to you, Rosalind,’ Lady Pentelow said peevishly. ‘You’ll have plenty of time to chat to Piers later.’

‘I’m sorry, ma’am,’ Rosalind said hastily. ‘What did you say?’

‘I asked you to speak to your sister. She’s behaving like a child.’

Rosalind crossed the room to sit beside Patricia. ‘I’m sorry it took so long to get home, Patsy, but it was unavoidable. We had to make sure that both Alex and Piers were fit to undertake the crossing.’

‘That’s no excuse.’ Patricia shrugged and turned back to her hand of cards.

‘Whatever you think, we’re here now, Patsy. You can plan your wedding and I promise you it will be twice as splendid as the one that Mama and Claude had.’

Patricia tossed her head. ‘I’m not sure I want to marry Alex.’

‘Why not?’ Alexander stared at her in amazement. ‘I couldn’t help being injured when the ship ran aground.’

‘You didn’t even write to me. It was your leg you hurt, not your right hand. Even if you couldn’t hold a pen you could have asked Rosie to note things down for you. I’m not sure I want to marry such a selfish, thoughtless person.’

‘That’s a bit unfair, Patsy,’ Aurelia said, frowning. ‘They were in a foreign country.’

‘What do you know about it, Aurelia? You are hardly an expert in affairs of the heart. If you had shown more interest in Hugo Knighton he might not have married that ugly heiress.’

‘Don’t get into an argument with my sister because of me, Patsy. I admit that I should have tried harder to contact you, but I was in such terrible pain for so long that all I could think about was myself.’ Alex sent a pleading look to Rosalind. ‘Isn’t that so, Rosie? I was a difficult patient and you are glad to be free from me.’