“Em, Emily, look, look at the house! It looks just like a castle.” Serena tugged at her sister's sleeve to gain her attention.

Sorry, Serena, I was wool-gathering. Are we there?” Emily leaned forward and peered out of the window. “Good heavens, it's huge! And you never said it was half castle, Mama.”

“Did I not, my dear, I must have forgot.” Her mother joined them at the open window. “It is exactly as I remember it. I am so glad that I am back here at last. I have missed Westerham every day I have been away.”

Emily's brow creased a little. Was her mother's enthusiasm unnatural? Surely all young woman understood they had to leave the familial home when they embarked on matrimony? Was this obsession with Westerham a sign that she was still unwell after her prolonged period of mental instability?

“Well, you're home now, Mama. I cannot wait for you to show us all the places that you have talked about so much.”

Her mother finally focused on her eldest daughter. “You still look a trifle hagged, my dear. Pinch your cheeks and press your lips together; try and restore some colour to your face. You want to make a good impression, do you not?” Lady Althea smiled and for the first time in two years humour was reflected in her eyes. “I believe that one pallid individual is quite enough for this family, do not you?”

Emily laughed out loud; the relief at her mother's return to normality replacing her anxiety about making a favourable impression. “We do look like a pair of underfed sparrows, don't we? But I'm certain will both be robust again now that we're here.”