“He did not,” said the Brigadier.

“Where were you back then?”

“I was stationed in Rome. When Talbot succeeded in getting Prince Andrea out of custody, I received a cable to arrange for their transportation once they arrived in Brindisi. There was also the matter of obtaining a diplomatic passport for the prince, as the Greeks had seized his when they arrested him. I met the family when they debarked from the Calypso and traveled as extra security with them up to Rome, where they had an audience with the pope, and that was the end of my involvement.”

“Remember any of their servants’ names, by any chance? Or would there be a report about them I could get at?”

“No, and absolutely not.”

“Did Talbot mention anything to you about anything anyone had left behind?”

“He did not.”

“Did he ever go back to Corfu after that?”

“He did, come to think of it,” said the Brigadier, thinking for a moment. “Several years later. Twenty-six, or thereabouts.”

“Why?”

“The villa was still in the family’s possession, although Andrea was persona non grata in Greece, unsurprisingly. They leased it to Mountbatten.”

“Which Mountbatten?”

“Dickie.”

“Princess Alice’s brother,” said Sparks. “He’s been a champion of Prince Philip, hasn’t he?”

“He has,” said the Brigadier. “He arranged for his introduction to the young princess.”

“Did he spend much time at Mon Repos?”

“I should doubt it very much. Mountbatten has been an active member of the Royal Navy since the Great War. I don’t know when he would have had the chance to relax anywhere.”

“Then it seems strange that he should want to lease the place, doesn’t it?” asked Sparks.

“Maybe. I’ve never been the villa-leasing type myself, so I don’t know why anyone else would go to the trouble. It might have been his way of funneling money to the family when they were hard up while still maintaining appearances.”

“And what did that have to do with Talbot going back to Corfu?”

“Talbot went back on Mountbatten’s behalf to make sure the place was still worth leasing.”

“Talbot went on Mountbatten’s behalf? Not for the Crown?”

“Talbot was out of the Service by then,” said the Brigadier.

“But why would he be the one to go back for Mountbatten?”

“No idea.”

“Were you still in Rome then?”

“I was.”

“Were you aware of Talbot’s journey to Mon Repos?”

“He came through Rome on his way there. We dined together.”

“And he said nothing about why he was going to Corfu?”

“Just that he needed to make sure the place was livable before Mountbatten leased it.”

“He went all that way for that trivial purpose, and you never thought it peculiar?”

“Let me think—was there anything else happening in Italy in twenty-six that might have been taking up more of my attentions? Oh yes. I vaguely recall a fellow named Mussolini and the rise of the Fascists. So, yes, Talbot’s housekeeping expedition didn’t raise any significant alarms amidst the constant clanging already around me.”