They left far later than she would have liked, but it could not be helped. She had discovered she had nothing appropriate to wear, nor had she a veil that would fully conceal her face and hair. She sent Lydia on a hurried excursion to find something – but not, of course, from Catherine’s usual modiste. All Lydia could find was a voluminous cloak in navy blue and a matching veil, which she spent an hour adjusting so that it would not slip from Catherine’s head. Lydia insisted they take every precaution and, fearing that Catherine would be recognised, she forced her to walk some distance from the boarding house – slow and tedious as the short journey was – in order to hail a hackney.
“This will attract far more attention,” Catherine panted, trying to keep the cloak together in front as she
