At Godmersham, Edward Austen took charge of the East Kent Volunteer Cavalry as their captain. This was a professional looking troop due to its heightened invasion risk on the south coast. The East Kent uniform was smart, made up of red coats and high boots. The flattering fitted jacket was tailored with padded shoulders to accentuate a man’s athletic silhouette, and most volunteers chose to wear them for leisure as well as duty, enjoying the admiring looks they received at the Assembly Room dances.

Elizabeth selected the books Fanny was allowed to read and ruled the lines on her paper to ensure she wrote straight. She decided who she was allowed to mix with and kept anyone unsuitable out of sight. Socialising was done through the large extended family of cousins, aunts and uncles who lived nearby in Goodnestone, and Elizabeth’s widowed mother, Lady Bridges, was not far away. Young Fanny was never short of a playmate or a carriage to take her somewhere grand for tea.

Miss Sharpe arrived in January, shaking from the cold and dressed from head to toe in black. Fanny thought she must be in mourning but felt too scared to ask. Compared to Miss Chapman, Miss Sharpe was older and sicklier, but Fanny liked her well enough and worked at her lessons with a new focus. She wanted Miss Sharpe to like her, and the two of them got on well.