‘I can always tell, and if you’re wise you’ll tell him as soon as possible. Don’t allow any doubts to enter his head.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Your husband was very ill and you were on your own with his brother, that’s all I’m saying.’

‘We were never alone in the château. Piers was there and so were you and Madame Planche and Delfosse.’

‘Nevertheless, tongues will wag and you will have to ignore the gossips. Now eat some breakfast. You need to look after yourself.’

‘I can’t be in the family way, not after all this time.’ Rosalind took a plate to the sideboard and lifted the lid on a silver serving dish. Two fried eggs stared up at her and her stomach churned. The next thing she knew she was seated in her chair with Hester fanning her with a plate.

‘What happened?’

‘You fainted, poppet. I’ll make sure that Mrs Jackson doesn’t serve fried eggs for a while.’ Hester replaced the plate on the table. ‘Sip your tea and maybe you can manage some dry toast. You’ll feel better as the weeks go by.’

Rosalind drank some tea and the mists began to clear from her brain. ‘How do you know these things, Hester? You’ve never had children.’

Hester went back to her seat at the table. ‘That’s not true. I had a baby many years ago.’

‘You never told me that.’

‘It’s not something I talk about. I was very young and I had only been in service for a few years.’

Rosalind sat forward in her chair. ‘Was it the master of the house?’

‘No, it was the butler. He was a bully and he liked to prey on young girls. Of course, I was sacked the moment the mistress of the house discovered my condition and I returned home to have the child.’

‘What happened to the baby?’

‘He was a beautiful baby boy, but I couldn’t keep him. My widowed mother took in washing and mending to pay the rent on our cottage and feed us, and I had to find another job. The vicar who christened my son knew of a childless couple who were desperate to adopt a baby. He took Tobias from my arms and I never saw him again.’

‘How awful. You must have been devastated.’

‘Poor people have few choices in life, Rosie. I started again as a scullery maid with another family and worked my way up, but I never forgot Tobias.’

‘Wouldn’t you like to find him? Even if it was just to make sure he was well and happy?’

‘He will be well over thirty now. He will have been raised to think of the couple who adopted him as his parents. I have no place in his life.’

‘That is very sad.’ Rosalind flicked tears from her eyes. ‘I am so sorry.’