‘I have brought these for you and Sir Damian,’ I said, handing her the packet of references before I sat. She laid them down on a candle table beside her without looking at them.

‘You come very warmly recommended,’ she said with a smile. ‘Though I did not expect you to be quite so young.’

I had no answer for this, so I held my peace.

‘Have you met the children?’

‘Yes, they were waiting to greet me, with Master Alchester.’

‘I hope they will give you no trouble. I’m sure Edward will not – he was very anxious to meet you. I think he believed someone from Portugal would be very exotic, perhaps would not speak English very well.’

I returned her smile. ‘I came to England as a child. I think of myself as English now.’

That small vertical line between her brows deepened slightly. ‘These are terrible times,’ she said. ‘So many people displaced, losing their homes.’ She reached out and patted my hand where it lay on the arm of the chair. ‘But we will not talk of such sad things.’

She gave a rueful laugh. ‘I am afraid you may find my daughter a more unwilling pupil. She took very much against our last tutor and did not make his life easy. He was glad, I think, when he had the offer of another post. I tell you this in advance, so that you know I will not be surprised if you have problems with Cecilia.’

‘I understand that she has no fondness for mathematics, but loves music.’

Lady Bridget’s expression softened. ‘Music is her great joy and she is truly gifted.’

‘I have suggested that we might study the mathematics of harmony, as a branch of the subject she might enjoy. I can illustrate it on the virginal, and with chords on the lute.’

‘Oh, she will love that! Excellently thought of! I see that you are a resourceful young man.’

I smiled and inclined my head. The more I talked to this warm-hearted woman, the more uncomfortable I felt about spying on her.

‘Apart from this, do you have any instructions as to how you wish me to proceed with the lessons?’ I asked.

She shook her head. ‘The children themselves can show you where they are in their studies. If my husband has any additional instructions, he can tell you himself. You will meet him at table tonight.’

I read this as a signal that our interview was over. As I rose, she also rose and walked to the door with me.

‘I am glad to welcome you to Hartwell Hall, Master Alvarez. I am sure you will do well with the children.’

‘Thank you, my lady.’

As I bowed and left the room, I felt like a despicable fraudster.

That evening I did indeed meet Sir Damian, when we sat down to sup together in the family dining parlour. Even the children were there, and both Master Alchester and another man, Sir Damian’s secretary, Miles Fitzgerald, a second cousin of my new employer. It seemed this was a family who welcomed their more senior staff to their table. Sir Damian proved as kindly and pleasant as his wife. I had imagined him to be a lean man with a sharp, fashionable beard and a calculating eye. Instead he was bluff and hearty, clean-shaven and just beginning to run to the plumpness of middle age. I could see at once which parent Edward took after. Indeed a good deal of the conversation at table was about Edward’s afternoon fishing on the lake.

‘Are you a fisherman, Master Alvarez?’ Sir Damian asked.

‘Alas,’ I said, ‘there are few opportunities for fishing in London. And fishing in the Thames is strictly regulated, confined to licensed fishermen.’

‘Of course, of course. Foolish of me! But if you wish to take up the sport, my son will be only too happy to initiate you into its delights. The trout we have just consumed were caught by him this very afternoon.’

Edward blushed with pleasure, but said frankly, ‘Jim caught more than I did, Father, though I caught three good-sized ones. The others were too small and I had to throw them back.’

They were off again, talking about bait and fishing rods. Cecilia, sitting opposite me, looked bored, though from time to time she stole a glance at me and ventured a smile.

‘It is agreed that we will start your studies of mathematics with harmony,’ I said, leaning toward her. ‘I have already mentioned it to your mother.’ And will end with it, I thought, for there was certainly enough of the subject to keep us occupied for the three weeks which would be the limit of my stay at Hartwell Hall.

She smiled more warmly. ‘Good. I will enjoy that. Do we start tomorrow?’

‘Aye. Tomorrow it shall be.’

And indeed it was. The more I saw of this family, the more I felt Walsingham was mistaken in his suspicions of them. Everything about the household was open to view, as far as I could observe. On that Tuesday morning the rector of Great Hartwell came to give Edward his lessons in the classical languages at one end of the schoolroom, while I sat at the other end with Cecilia, writing out for her some simple sequences of harmony and playing them on the virginal, softly so as not to disturb the others. As I had suspected, once the girl’s interest was caught she proved quick in her understanding.

‘This does not seem much like mathematics, Master Alvarez!’ Her bright smile transformed her from the sulky child of the previous day and I warmed towards her. After the rector left we played a duet for lute and virginal, then Edward joined in with his descant recorder. He played well for his age, but his enthusiasm sometimes caused his fingers to trip over the notes, to his sister’s annoyance.

In the afternoon I played some of my father’s number games with Edward, while Cecilia sat in her mother’s parlour embroidering. Edward loved the games and invented some variations of his own. By the time I retired that night I had decided that my duties as a tutor were manageable, at least for the short time I was to stay at Hartwell Hall. As for the real purpose of my visit, I grew more doubtful as the days passed.

When the first week drew to its end, I became more curious than ever about what would happen on Sunday. Would the household attend church in Great Hartwell? There did not appear to be a private chapel on the manor. Nothing was said of this until Saturday evening, when Lady Bridget drew me aside after supper.

‘We shall be attending early service tomorrow at the village church, Master Alvarez. Will you accompany us?’

‘Yes, indeed,’ I said readily.

‘Good.’ She smiled at me. ‘The men will ride and Cecilia and I go pillion. The servants will set out half an hour earlier, to walk.’

‘My horse will be glad of the exercise,’ I said. ‘He has been idling in the stable since I arrived.’

‘Oh, but you must feel free to ride about the estate whenever you are not occupied with the children. It is so lovely at this time of year.’

‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘Perhaps I will do that tomorrow afternoon. You would not want me to keep them at their lessons on a Sunday?’

‘No, no. They have a holiday from their studies, and so must you. It is very pretty over by the lake. We do not all need to be fishermen to enjoy it!’

I laughed, as I was meant to. However, the thought crossed my mind that she seemed quite eager to send me off on a long ride the following afternoon. Walsingham had said that it was about now that he expected another delivery of letters. For a long time I lay awake that night, trying to untangle my confused impressions of the Fitzgeralds – so warm and kind in their welcome, so open (apparently) in everything they did, yet tainted with this suspicion of Walsingham’s. Sir Francis was the cleverest man I knew. I did not believe he could be entirely mistaken.

Hector was delighted to see me the next morning and could hardly contain himself when we joined the other men to ride down to the village. Sir Damian, the steward Alchester, and Miles Fitzgerald were all there, and Edward on his small pony. Despite Hector’s eagerness for a faster pace, we rode down the hill at a sober walk and I was glad to feel that my muscles, which had ached for a day or two after my ride from London, now seemed to have adapted themselves to riding again.