In mid-December, Romilly's unit was sent to Boadilla del Monte, where a strong rebel offensive was under way. In the ensuing battle, nearly all of Romilly's British companions, including Birch, were killed. Romilly survived the fighting, but contracted dysentery and was invalided back to England early in January 1937. At the end of January 1937, while recuperating from his Spanish experiences at the home of his distant cousin Dorothy Althusen, Romilly met his second cousin Jessica Mitford. According to Mary Lovell's account, Esmond had learned from his brother Giles that Jessica was interested in going to Spain, and suggested to Dorothy that the "pink" Mitford sister would be a suitable house guest. She was the youngest-but-one of the renowned Mitford sisters, daughters of the 2nd Baron Redesdale. Despite the family relationship the two had not previously met, although according to Mitford's own account: "I had been in love with Esmond for years, ever since I first heard of him". She was herself a rebel against the restrictions of her upbringing and family life, and hoped that Romilly would help her get to Spain. The two found an instant rapport, and began immediately to make plans. Romilly had acquired a press card and a contract from the "News Chronicle" to report on the war, and was thus able to obtain a visa; the plan was that Mitford would travel as his secretary. Mitford had for years accumulated her small savings in what she called her "Running-away account", which now stood at around £50; this, Romilly announced, would make things much easier. As a cover story to explain her departure, Mitford invented an invitation to visit friends in Austria, and the pair departed from England on 8 February. They reached Bayonne, on the French-Spanish borders, and after a tense wait for Mitford's visa they took a cargo boat to Bilbao. By this time the families had discovered the subterfuge and were aware of the fugitive couple's whereabouts and of their intention to marry. The families, bitterly opposed to the union, hoped to avoid press attention, but Romilly opportunistically exploited press interest by selling his story through an intermediary. Headlines appeared in the "Daily Express" on 1 March 1937 announcing "Peer's Daughter Elopes to Spain". At the same time the Redesdale family used all their connections to try to bring Jessica home, including the connivance of the British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and the use of a naval warship to despatch the eldest Mitford sister, Nancy, to Bayonne.