CHAPTER ONE
1895Iona Langdale woke up slowly and, seeing the early morning sun creeping in through the sides of her curtains, thought that if today was fine then tomorrow would be too.
Tomorrow was very important to her, as it was to be her wedding day.
The fuss and commotion over arranging everything had kept everyone in the house busy for nearly a month.
Now she knew that if she looked out of the window she would see the huge marquee erected on the lawn where her guests would be received.
Below, sloping down to the lake, were the barrels of beer that were to be drunk by the workers on the estate and those who lived in the village.
There were to be fireworks at night and Iona knew that everyone locally would be present at what to them was a very special occasion.
When her father ha
