Truthfully Helena was having considerably less fun in the temporary reprieve from pretending she had any interest in the season that she would have liked. Her encouragement of Emma was borne both of love and envy: her husband was miles away and quite out of her reach.

“Probably enjoying the peace and quiet,” she replied with a fond roll of her eyes. She was far from the most exuberant of women but, well… “I’d forgotten how loud a child can be though I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised Charles’ daughter is prone to tantrums.”