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‘My brother’s wife is the cook and all your staff had only the kindest of words for you. They thought you a true gentleman and you seemed the best person to leave my Billy with.’ She looked up shyly. ‘And it seems I was right.’

Mr Shilton relaxed. ‘Is there a Mr Blythe?’ he asked gently.

‘Not really. Billy’s father was a seaman. He was good to me but was lost in the terrible storm last year off Biscay.’ Her face clouded as her head drooped, but only for a moment. Her good humour seemed irrepressible, for she glanced up at him and smiled. ‘At least he left me the best son in the world.’

Mr Shilton remembered her letter and the sacrifice she was prepared to make for security for herself and Billy. ‘Did you marry this man in York?’

Mrs Blythe’s bright eyes flashed indignantly. ‘No, I did not! He made me give up the babby I loved more than life, and when I arrived in the city, I discovered he was already married to the barmaid in the local tavern!’

Ferdy Shilton’s heart sank. He had grown to care about Billy and want the best for him. An itinerant life with an impoverished mother didn’t bode too well for the boy’s future. ‘So how are you going to manage without a husband?’ he asked with real concern.

Mrs Blythe’s face was bright. ‘Fortune has smiled on me. The owner of the tavern is a widow who swore not to trust her business to a man again, and asked me to work with her. I took to it and liked the ordering of ales, the organisation. So Billy and I will have a home after all.’

There was a knock at the front door and, within a minute, Dot had disappeared into the kitchen quarters and Maltby was ushering Madeleine into the library. ‘I came as quickly as I could. Why the urgency, Mr Shilton?’ She was breathless and in her haste, had not noticed the young woman by the fire.

Mr Shilton took Madeleine’s hand and led her towards Mrs Blythe. ‘This is Billy’s mother, Mrs Blythe. Mrs Blythe, this is Miss Rose who found your son.’

‘Oh! I’m so glad you’ve come.’ Madeleine clutched both her hands.

Mrs Blythe’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Bless you both,’ was all she could say.

‘I wanted you to be here, Miss Rose, when Mrs Blythe takes Billy away with her.’ He then turned towards the woman. ‘We have all grown very attached to your son.’ Opening the door, he said, ‘Shall we go now? The house is just up the street.’

Mrs Blythe could not hide her impatience, but as the women put on their outdoor clothes in the hall, Mr Shilton caught sight of Madeleine’s bonnet trimmed with her jaunty coquelicot feather. His great relief at finding Billy’s mother and knowing he was just incidental in her child’s life had made him high-spirited. He could not suppress a smile. ‘Miss Rose, you and your feather delight me.’

Madeleine coloured with pleasure and, tying the ribbons loosely, asked, ‘Is it pointing the right way?’

Still amused, he murmured, ‘It needs just the slightest accommodation. Excuse me, Miss Rose.’ And he put a forefinger under her chin to tilt her head, leaning close to twist the brilliant red feather so it bobbed gaily to the right. ‘That’s most becoming,’ he said with satisfaction. Their eyes met; his, full of merriment; hers, shy and questioning.

Madeleine had never felt his touch on her face before and feared he could hear the beating of her heart. Why so little a thing caused so much agitation? She pulled her pelisse close as if to hide the tumult in her breast. She caught Maltby’s eye and said hurriedly, ‘Can you tell my maid I’ll return to collect her?’

Mr Shilton led Mrs Blythe and Miss Rose up Brook Street to the Wolfe house, its stately pilastered façade belying the warm tumble of family life within. The butler, Gibbons, a much more genial personage than Maltby could ever be, ushered them into the hallway, where a small wooden horse and carriage lay abandoned on the flagged floor. The sound of childish laughter and an admonishing female voice floated down the elegant stone staircase to the visitors below. Mrs Blythe looked about her and seemed reassured that her son had had the best care in a family of distinction.

‘Could you tell Mrs Wolfe that I’m here with Miss Rose and Billy’s mother?’

‘Of course, Mr Shilton.’ Gibbons disappeared towards the back of the house and knocked on the studio door.

Corinna emerged, removing her painter’s apron as she walked forwards, eager to greet her visitors. Ferdy introduced Mrs Blythe.

‘I am very pleased to meet you.’

The young woman took her outstretched hand and said, with a catch in her voice, ‘I am much obliged to you. To care for my son with your own children, I could not have asked for more for my Billy.’

‘Well, come and see him. He has been a happy addition to our family.’ Corinna led the party up the stairs to the nursery floor as Madeleine stooped to pick up the carriage and horse. The sound of children’s chatter increased as they ascended, until Corinna opened the door to the nursery day room to see her baby John in his nurse’s arms and her daughter Emma pushing Billy round the room in a small wheeled cart. The chatter stopped and everyone’s eyes turned to the visitors.

Mrs Blythe ran forwards with a cry and scooped up her son. For a moment, Billy looked disconcerted. He gazed up into his mother’s tear-stained face with some suspicion as everyone held their breath. Please recognise her, please recognise her was Madeleine’s silent plea. The boy then gave Mrs Blythe a look of ecstatic disbelief and buried his head in her embrace. The feel of her was so familiar, the smell of her brought back memories of home. He started to wail and clung to her, as sympathetic tears sprang to Madeleine’s eyes.

After an emotional farewell, Mrs Blythe and Billy climbed into one of the Wolfe chaises to be conveyed to an address in Picadilly where she had secured a bed for the night before catching the coach for York early the next morning. Miss Rose and Mr Shilton walked back down the road to the Shilton mansion. They were both subdued.

He was the first to speak. ‘Well, I suppose we should be grateful that Billy’s mother came back for him. And seems a kind, good sort, too.’

‘So, she has a job and is free of this man who made her give up her baby?’

‘Yes. She’ll be working for the widow of the publican and they sound like they have an efficient little business. It will be as secure as anything these days.’

They both stopped walking, as if recognising the emotion in the situation and Madeleine said quietly, ‘And now Billy’s gone and we are back to being alone.’ Unbidden, tears began to fall onto her cheeks.

Ferdy Shilton took her arm. ‘Come into the house, Miss Rose. We can’t speak on the street.’ He steered her to the library and closed the door.