The last thing Annabelle heard as she strolled back across the lawn to the house was the high-pitched giggling of Faith, Hope and Charity as they jostled each other to claim his arms.

She returned to her room, where she found that Sally had indeed finished unpacking her things. A glance at the clock showed that she had an hour before dinner, so she luxuriated in a scented bath before choosing which dress to wear. As she looked at each one in turn she thought how lucky she was to have inherited her fortune, for before it she had had to dress in far less fashionable style. The gown she chose was of the latest design with a stand-up ruff at the back of the neck, a lace-trimmed bodice and six inches of embroidery around the hem.

“I see you’ve chosen your best frock. I knew you’d want to make an impression,” said Sally.

“On Lord and Lady Carlton?”

“No, miss. On the gentleman you were walking with.”

“I don’t suppose it will do any good to pretend not to know what you’re talking about?” asked Annabelle.

“No, miss, none at all. A very fine gentleman he looked. In fact, he looked a good deal like Lord Arundel to me.”

“You know very well that he was Lord Arundel.”

“Well?”

“Well?”

“Sweet on him, you were, not long since.”

She sighed, for she could keep nothing from Sally. “Perhaps I was, but unfortunately, he was not sweet on me.”

“He gave a good impression of it,” remarked Sally.

“It was a flirtation and nothing more, at least on his part. He saw me as someone to pass the time with.”

“Then more fool him,” said Sally. “All men are fools.”

“Then it is a good thing we neither of us wish to marry, for neither of us would want to live with a fool.”

Sally grunted in reply, and proceeded to help Annabelle to dress. Chemise and drawers went on first, followed by a pair of clocked stockings and light stays. Then the evening dress, with its high waist and long flowing skirt.

Annabelle adjusted the scoop neckline and straightened the lace that adorned the bodice, then slipped her feet into dainty satin slippers. She seated herself in front of the mirror so that Sally could dress her hair. She arranged it in a fashionable chignon and then teased out delicate ringlets around her face, before adding the feathered headdress.

“There,” said Sally with obvious pride. “It’s done.”

Annabelle stood up. Sally fastened a string of pearls round her neck and then Annabelle pulled on her long white evening gloves and went to collect Caroline. Caroline, she was pleased to see, was in a demure white muslin, with satin slippers and a simple string of pearls. No doubt she had wanted to wear something more dashing, but had been dissuaded by her maid.

The two of them went downstairs, to find that the drawing room was already full of people.

“Have you met Mrs Maltravers and her three daughters?” Annabelle asked Caroline.

“Unfortunately, yes. I have never met three sillier girls,” said Caroline.

However, she went over to join them and they were soon laughing together.

Laura wandered over to Annabelle, saying, “It is good to see the young people having fun. And now there is someone I would like you to meet: Lord Fossington.”

Annabelle sighed.

“Now, Annabelle, you have not even met him yet. He might be everything you ever dreamed of.”

“You are right, of course, dear Laura. Pray introduce me.”

Laura led her across the room and made the introduction.

Lord Fossington was a tall man of military bearing, handsome in a rugged way, with a scar across one cheek.

“Miss Langley,” he said. “I was hoping to have an opportunity to speak to you. I believe you know Mrs Granville, my aunt?”

They talked of their shared acquaintances, and of his time in the army, where he had served faithfully for many years.

“How do you like being at home again? Is it very dull after being in the army?” asked Annabelle.

“On the contrary. I have had enough of war. I like being in the country. The quiet suits my nerves,” he said, as he led her in to dinner. “But perhaps it sounds boring to you?”

“I must confess I like the bustle of London. But in the summer, there is nothing I like better than the country.”

They took their places and to her secret delight Annabelle found herself sitting opposite Daniel. He looked up as she took her place and there was unmistakable admiration in his eyes.

As the soup was brought in, she saw him open his mouth to speak to her but Mrs Maltravers, seated to her right, began to talk about the latest scandal. Mrs Maltravers denounced Princess Caroline, the Regent’s wife, as a national disgrace. “Running round Europe like a lightskirt. Setting up home in Spain—”

Italy, thought Annabelle, not realizing she had mouthed it until she caught sight of Daniel’s amused expression, and the two of them shared a secret smile. They continued to glance at each other and smile throughout dinner, though Annabelle did her best to keep her eyes away from him. She could feel all too clearly the attraction she had felt the year before, so that she was relieved when it was time for the ladies to withdraw.

“We must have an outing tomorrow,” said Mrs Maltravers, as the ladies settled themselves in the drawing room.

“Oh, yes, Mama. A picnic!” exclaimed Hope.

“May we, Lady Carlton?” asked Faith.

“Oh, please say we may,” entreated Charity.

“I see no reason why not,” said Laura. “As long as the weather holds.”

“It is sure to,” said Caroline, caught up in the idea.

“And what do you think?” murmured a deep voice in Annabelle’s ear.

She turned to see Daniel, who had just entered the room with the other gentlemen.

“I think it will probably rain!” she said mischievously.

“So you are not in favour of a picnic?”

“On the contrary, I am looking forward to it,” she said, “rain or shine!”

“You have a rare gift for enjoying life,” he replied with a smile.

“I shall go on horseback,” declared Faith.

“And so will I,” declared Hope.

“Nonsense,” said Mrs Maltravers firmly. “You will travel in the carriage with me. The gentlemen will not run away, my dears, and once we are at Primrose Hill you may flirt with them to your hearts’ content.” She beamed at the assembled gentlemen, and then, hiding behind her fan, she whispered to Annabelle, “Never fear, my dear. You may be a bit long in the tooth, but there are plenty of gentlemen for us all.”

“Perhaps you would prefer to ride?” Daniel asked Annabelle, then added, with a humorous glint in his eye, “That is, if your rheumatism permits?’

Annabelle’s eyes danced. “Do you know? I think I might.”

At last the party began to break up and Annabelle and Caroline retired for the night.

“Are you sure you will be able to manage tomorrow?” asked Caroline solicitously.

“My dear girl, Lord Arundel was teasing. I am not in my dotage.”

“Of course not, dear aunt,” said Caroline kindly. “You are only just middle-aged.”

“Ah, well, it is better than being elderly!” said Annabelle. “Thank you for that, at least!”

“Not at all,” said Caroline, taking her arm fondly. “You will not be elderly for another three years, for no one is ever old until they are thirty, you know.”

“In that case, I am glad I have three years of youth left to me,” said Annabelle, as she said goodnight to her niece.

“A good attitude,” said Caroline. “You must make the most of the next few years, and not squander them. They will go all too quickly, you know.”

“You are right. The ride tomorrow will give me something to remember when I am sitting alone by the fire with a blanket over my knees!”

Caroline gave her an affectionate hug and they parted on the landing.

As Annabelle walked back to her room she told herself that she must not read too much into Daniel’s attention, but she could not quell a rising tide of pleasure at the thought of the outing to come.

The party assembled early the following morning, meeting in front of the house, where they mounted their horses or climbed into carriages, ready for the journey. The day was fine, but not too hot: ideal outing weather.

As Annabelle set off, Daniel fell in next to her, riding an impressive black stallion. His animal was spirited, but he controlled it with ease, and they set out at a good pace.

“Have you visited Primrose Hill before?” asked Annabelle.

“No. As I believe I told you yesterday, this is my first visit to Whitegates.”

“And I should, of course, remember everything you say!” Annabelle teased him.

“That is not a very flattering remark,” he replied with perfect good humour.

“Ah! I did not know you required flattery. If that is the case, then nothing is easier. Allow me to tell you, Lord Arundel, how well you ride!”

He laughed. “I will return the compliment, and say that you have a good seat and light hands.”

“Please do. If flattery is to be the order of the day, I demand my full measure!”

And before she knew it, they were bantering again, as they always had done in the past, and she thought to herself, I must be careful for I am in danger of falling in love with him all over again.

The landscape was all that Annabelle had hoped it would be. Although it was not the time of year for the primroses that gave the hill its name, the area was picturesque, with a wooded area giving way to a grassy slope, and the views were magnificent. The countryside rolled away into the distance, disturbed only by dry stone walls and the silvery snake of a river, and was overtopped with a blue sky.