“Then it’s settled,” Harriet proclaimed with delight. She was unsurprised at Miss Scamander’s agreement to the plan – given their respective social positions it would do the girl all manner of harm to turn down an offer from her - but Harriet was pleased with the evening’s work nevertheless. Miss Scamander was certainly a young woman with potential, though she had only recently come to Harriet’s attention when she had cast the net a little wider in the search for her next daughter-in-law, and while her social position was not all it could be she was otherwise perfectly desirable.

Harriet only hoped one of her boys would think so too.

“I shall write to you when spring arrives and the ground in better,” she said, smiling, eyes alighting upon Miss Lestrange and contemplating how to approach this much slipperier fish. “Adieu my dear, I hope you enjoy the evening,” and with a quick squeeze of Helga’s arm Harriet flitted away.