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about the march? Was he angry? He attempted a smile when she entered and his tone became avuncular.
    “Miss Montrecourt, sit down. I need to speak to you.”
    She sat on the edge of the chair, facing him. He cleared his throat. “I believe you’ve made a friend of a woman called Daphne Senior. It concerns me.”
    She was astonished. How had he learnt about that?
    “Harrogate is quite a small place. Nothing goes unnoticed, and people like Daphne Senior make themselves very conspicuous.”
    “I’m not sure why my friendship with Daphne would give you so much concern.” There had been no mention of the march, so it couldn’t be because of that.
    “I appreciate you’ve been left alone a great deal since you arrived in Harrogate and I am intending to remedy that by introducing you to suitable people. I know of Miss Senior and she isn’t a suitable companion for a young woman with no experience of the world.”
    Marie’s first instinct was to fly to the defence of her friend, but she waited to see if he had anything further to say.
    “Also, you should not be going out alone.”
    “But times are changing, Mr Pickard. The world is changing.”
    “Not here, not in Harrogate.”
    “Even here.” She was going to add that Daphne was proof of it, but Mr Pickard didn’t give her the chance.
    “Miss Montrecourt, you have no experience of the world, so whether or not it is changing is something you’re not able to judge. I have asked Mr and Mrs Minton to arrange some outings for you, but they must be accompanied. Stanley Minton has agreed to escort you. He’s a very busy man, so it is kind that he has agreed to do so.”
    She was taken aback at this and was not sure how to feel. Why on earth would Stanley Minton agree to be her escort? Whatever the reason, however, her main concern now was Mr Pickard’s opinion of her friend. “I’m grateful, but I still don’t understand why I can’t see Daphne.”
    “You recall our agreement when you accepted the terms of the allowance? I’m asking you not to see Miss Senior. It is for the sake of your own reputation. I’m afraid I must insist on it. You know the alternative?”
    To be sent back to the convent. After a moment she gave a brief nod of acceptance, crossing her fingers behind her back as she did so. The girls at the convent always said that God knew you didn’t mean to keep your promise if you crossed your fingers behind your back when making it. Nothing would prevent her from seeing Daphne again, and after the march she was certain that everyone would admire her friend’s courage and integrity as much as she did.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Evelyn stood on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral between his mother and Lord Renfrew, his father’s oldest friend, and bowed his head as a frail Queen Victoria was helped into her carriage by the Prince of Wales. There were a few cheers from the huge crowd as she raised a hand to wave, but most stood in respectful silence. They were aware that they had come to mourn the passing of the Hero of Majuba, not to cheer their queen. Not since Lord Nelson had a man achieved such adulation from the people and now Evelyn faced the daunting prospect of stepping into his shoes. Whether he liked it or not, he had become head of one of the most prominent families in the country. And whether he wanted them or not, he now had responsibilities. He could already feel them settling heavily on his shoulders. During all the pomp, all the ceremony of today, one question was uppermost in his mind: was he capable?
    Reading all the tributes to his father had only increased his feelings of inadequacy. The London Chronicle had written:
    There is to be a memorial service to celebrate the life of Sir Gordon Harringdon, known as the Hero of Majuba. He gave this country back its pride during the British Army’s terrible defeat at Majuba Hill in 1881 – the first war against the Boers. It is difficult now to separate fact from fiction, but what cannot be disputed is