‘Oh, do be sensible, Stella, for once. He likes you to ask for things. You’re so stupid when a man’s mad about you. He’d give you the moon if it was in his power to do so. And what do you do? You just sit there saying nothing, a silly smile on your face, when if you frowned he might bring you rubies or emeralds to make you look happy again.’

‘It seems so awful to take so much,’ Stella said simply.

Chrissie gripped her chair until the knuckles showed white.

‘So much!’ she exclaimed. ‘When he’s got millions! When in his Palace in India he has vaults filled with diamonds and pearls, gold and ivory! You’re a fool, Stella! So much from a man like that! Why, if he draped you in diamonds from head to foot, he wouldn’t notice the difference in his bank balance. Lord, but you make me sick!’

‘All right, Chrissie, I’ll do my best,’ Stella said soothingly, but her voice was not very convincing.

Tense with emotion, Chrissie got up from the chair and walked across to the window again. Suddenly she gave an exclamation.

‘Listen, Stella I’ve thought of something.’

But Stella had already returned to her novel, and with an exclamation of anger Chrissie walked across the room and snatched the book from her hands.

‘Listen, I said!’

‘Oh, Chrissie, don’t be so cross! I’ve said I will do my best, haven’t I?

‘Your best is not good enough,’ Chrissie replied angrily. ‘I tell you I’ve thought of something! You know that girl they’re all taking about, the girl in grey with the wonderful pearls?’

‘Do you mean “the Ghost”?’

‘Yes, that’s the one! François told me that all Monte Carlo is gossiping about her.’

‘I’m not surprised,’ Stella said. ‘She’s awfully pretty and she looks sort of different from other women. Of course, wearing grey like that makes her stand out, but it isn’t only that, there’s something in her face – I can’t explain.’

‘And are her pearls as wonderful as François says?’

‘I wouldn’t know,’ Stella replied. ‘They’re sort of grey and dull compared with diamonds, but the Rajah says he’s never seen anything like them. I told him I thought his were much finer.’

‘You would,’ Chrissie remarked scornfully.

‘Now what’s wrong with that?’ Stella enquired. ‘He was as pleased as Punch that I admired something of his.’

Those he wears are his State ones,’ Chrissie said. ‘You know as well as I do that he can’t give them away. But why shouldn’t he buy some for you, why shouldn’t he buy those belonging to the ghost girl?’

Buy her pearls for me?’ Stella asked. ‘But I don’t like pearls. Besides, I don’t expect she wants to sell them.’