And it proved to be a rather confusing visit once they arrived at the castle.

The welcome they received was very similar to before, with the Earl and Countess awaiting them in the drawing room, but there was no sign anywhere of Dominic Brandon, much to her mother’s dismay. Instead, Emily was sitting on the chaise longue close to her uncle and aunt.

“Julia, my dear, how are you?” said the Countess. “You look very well, and Emily has told me all about her stay with you and Mrs. Harrison in Bath, and what she knows about your visit with your aunt to Dorset.”

Julia’s quick glance at her friend reassured her that no confidences would have been passed on about the latter, but there was something in Emily’s expression that cheered her. And so it proved.

“I must apologise most profusely, Mrs. Maitland,” said the Earl, “but it seems that our elder son has been detained in town. He had promised us that he would be here to meet you in Derbyshire today, but that has apparently not proved to be possible.”

Behind his back, Julia could see Emily silently mouthing the word “Christina” to her.

Her mama’s disappointment could be heard in her voice (Mama is not a good liar, thought Julia), as she replied, “Please do not trouble yourself, my lord. It is just that my husband’s ill health . . .” She stopped, and did not go on.

“I quite understand,” said the Countess quietly, “and we will ask you to visit again as soon as Dominic arrives. We have sent urgent messages to town, and hope that Julia may soon be able to meet him here.”

At this point, Emily asked her uncle and aunt if Julia could be spared for a few minutes to look at a new gown that she had acquired. The two young ladies sped away to the family’s private rooms, where Emily produced the dress as promised, but indicated that it had really been a ruse to speak to Julia privately.

“Freddie’s regiment has unexpectedly returned from the Peninsula. Dominic has not been seen at the house in town for several days, and Freddie guesses that he is with Christina. He also says that, during the past week, several acquaintances have called in search of my cousin. Apparently he has not been seen in any of his usual haunts for some time.”

“Did his friends say what they wanted?”

“Some did, saying that Dominic had borrowed money from them that was now overdue for repayment, and another was looking to collect some ‘fine goods from Dorset’ as he put it.”

“Oh!” said Julia. “That sounds like contraband. Did Freddie take any note of who these people were?”

“Yes, some of them, including the one waiting for the fine goods. We had better go back to the drawing room now, but I thought that you ought to know.”

Emily and Julia went back to join the others and, after a further exchange of pleasantries and some light refreshments, Mrs. Maitland and her daughter took their leave and began the return journey.

Julia was disinclined to talk, but her mother spent much of the time before they reached Banford Hall regretting their wasted visit and urging Julia to keep her informed of any news that Emily might convey about her cousin’s return to his ancestral home.

Julia had forgotten how lively it was sharing a house with her younger sisters, and she was glad that Papa’s dressing room was tucked away at one end of the house so that they did not have to worry about disturbing him. It proved quite difficult to find an opportunity to speak to him privately. However, Aunt Lucy had brought with her a magazine showing the latest London fashions, and she persuaded Sophie and Harriet to join Mama in the drawing room so that they could all examine it.

Julia then went to the dressing room and found her father, as always, happy to talk to her.

“Did you enjoy your stay in Bath, and then in Dorset?”

“Oh, yes, Papa, you were quite right. I really needed a break from Derbyshire, although it would have been so much nicer if you could have been there as well. But I did my best to enjoy myself, and I had great fun with Emily in Bath. And when we went to Dorset, Aunt Lucy was very kind to me, and Mr. Hatton was a very civil host.”

Her father asked her to describe the house at Morancourt, and he liked her account of its condition and furnishings, and the surrounding countryside. She mentioned the ruined abbey, and the view to the sea, and told him about Sir James Lindsay and their visit to his house. She hinted a little at the possibility of there being smuggling in the area, and this did not seem to worry him as much as it would have done her mama.

In reply to her question about his health, he looked rather more serious and said, “Julia, I have not told your mother, and I have asked the doctor to say very little to her. There is really no easy way to tell you, but he has warned me that I may not be here this time next year.”

At this news, tears welled into her eyes, and Julia tried to turn her face away.

“No, my dear—please do not upset yourself too much, for there seems to be nothing at all that we can do about it. But, as the eldest in the family now, I feel that you should not be kept in the dark, as we may need to make financial plans for when the family can no longer live at Banford Hall.”

Julia could not think of anything to say to this and put her arm around him, trying to put her strength into his weak frame.

When she had left him to have his rest, she found Aunt Lucy alone in the hall, opening a letter. After she had read it through, she turned to Julia.

“This is from Mr. Hatton, in reply to my note of thanks that I sent from Bath. He asks me to pass on a message from Sir James and says that you will know what it means. He says that the name that you wanted is François Jepson Labonne, and that his mother lived locally in Dorset at the time of his birth, but that she came from northern France. Do you understand all that, Julia?”

“Yes, thank you, dear aunt. That is exactly what I need to know.”

“I must admit that I am consumed with curiosity.”

“Forgive me, Aunt Lucy. I need to speak to Emily when she comes tomorrow before I can tell you anything more. It might be very useful if you could persuade Mama to go with you to Derby with my sisters, to choose a design for her silk dress at the dressmakers there.”

“Very well, as long as you promise to let me in on the secret before too long.”

Her aunt then asked Julia what had happened during the visit to Cressborough Castle, as her sister had clearly been dissatisfied with the outcome. Julia gave her a short account of what had happened, and Aunt Lucy said, “Very good, a few more days’ delay may be helpful.”

Aunt Lucy was as good as her word and, when Emily Brandon arrived the following morning, she had already left with Mama, Sophie, and Harriet in her chaise for the visit to Derby.

Julia and Emily spent the next hour catching up with all the news from Derbyshire and from Freddie. Dominic had not been back to Cressborough Castle since Julia had seen him there. Emily was anxious to hear more about what Julia had done in Dorset, and her friend told her as much as she could without revealing anything about her relationship with Mr. Hatton. But she did explain that there seemed to be a problem on the estate with contraband goods being brought onshore and hidden in farm buildings, before they were being sold to eager purchasers further inland.

Then Julia explained that one of the people suspected of being a ringleader in the smuggling ring was Frank Jepson—christened François Jepson Labonne. “Labonne!” said Emily, startled. “But that is the same surname as Annette, the Countess’s abigail. Do you remember that we saw Annette in Bath talking to Dominic and his friend Mr. Jepson—Jepson! But that is the same name as the smuggler?”

“Yes, and I saw Patrick Jepson in the square at Beaminster, the small town near Morancourt, a few days before we left there to go back to Bath, talking to the man called Frank Jepson.”

“So,” said Emily slowly, “we have two Mr. Jepsons, both seen in Dorset and one in Bath. At least one of them knows my cousin Dominic. And one had a French mother with the surname Labonne, the same as Annette?”

“Yes, and Sir James Lindsay, who was at school with Mr. Hatton, told him that Frank Jepson is the illegitimate elder brother of Patrick Jepson, his mother’s nephew. So I wondered, Emily, whether there is any way that you could confirm whether Annette is really closely related to Frank Jepson. And rather than ask Annette directly, would it be worth speaking to the Countess herself?”

Emily considered this for a few moments. “Yes, that is the best idea. I will not mention Dominic, or the smuggling ring. I do know that Annette has worked for the family for many years, since my cousins were very young, but the Countess may know where she lived before then.”

“Is the Countess still at the castle?”

Emily nodded. “I think perhaps that I will not stay today for as long as I had planned. I really must find out what she knows about Annette.”

“Then just stay to take a cup of tea with Papa, for he enjoys having visitors he knows well.”

Papa was glad to see Emily and was entertained by the lively conversation between the two girls before she left. When the party returned from Derby in Aunt Lucy’s travelling chaise, Sophie and Harriet were disappointed to hear that Emily had already gone home, but were mollified by Julia’s confirming that their friend would be back soon.

Aunt Lucy persuaded all her nieces to go with her during the next few days to Buxton and Bakewell, and to visit Chatsworth, one of the largest stately homes in the locality. These excursions kept Julia’s mind occupied, although her thoughts often strayed to Mr. Hatton in Dorset and, although less often, to Emily, hoping that she would be able to add a piece to the puzzle about Dominic.