‘Ah, here we are. Not far now,’ said the lawyer, gratefully finding a tactful way to change the subject. ‘You will see your first view of the Abbey when we clear these woods.’

 The girls leaned to look out of the window, searching the landscape for the sight of a roof. This journey had been extraordinary, but they knew there was more to come when they arrived at the house. The perfectly formed box-shaped mansion standing proud and straight made them exclaim at its magnificence. Driving along the river’s edge through the bounteous grounds, there was plenty of time to count the rows of windows and the number of staircases leading up to the doors.

The same fine plasterwork stretched along the stairways and cornices of the main house, too, and they continued to admire it on their way to the breakfast room. Mrs Austen looked closely at the portraits she passed on the walls, playing with names under her breath to match the half-recognisable faces she saw before her. She stopped in front of a painting of some children and stared intently at one boy dressed as a Roman soldier. ‘I’m sure that’s my father when he was a boy. I feel certain I’ve seen it before. Yes, that’s your grandfather!’ she told her girls with a broad smile.

After breakfast, Cassandra and Jane went to explore the grounds whilst Mrs Austen wrote her letters. They discovered, as they walked around, that the building they were staying in was an extension of the original home. The old manor house, which dated back hundreds of years, was still there, as was a medieval gatehouse.