Alexandra was naturally kind-hearted and couldn’t ignore the appeal from this young woman who must have been terribly lonely. ‘Why not? Here’s a nice café – have you had lunch? I haven’t. And I do speak French. Not perfectly, of course, but well enough.’ Alexandra was hungry. Keen to enjoy every minute she had in Paris, she had got up too early to be given breakfast at her pension, and had done a lot of walking.

‘Oh! I would so love to go somewhere and not have to fight with the waiters to make myself understood!’ said the woman. ‘My name is Donna, by the way.’ She put out her hand.

‘Alexandra,’ said Alexandra, shaking Donna’s hand briefly. ‘Now, let’s eat.’

When they both had plates of steak frites and a bottle of wine in front of them, and had eaten several mouthfuls in silence, Donna put down her knife and fork. ‘I’ll just tell you my story quickly,’ she said, ‘then I want to hear about you.’

Alexandra smiled. ‘Go on then.’

‘Well, I grew up in Connecticut. Married young to a very nice man, Bob, who my parents approved of, and then his job sent him to Paris. Which sounds so romantic, and it is really, but not when you don’t speak the language, your husband is out all day and you have no friends. I have no one to talk to except the maid and she doesn’t speak English – and hates me! My parents aren’t happy about me being so far away and keep writing letters asking if Bob can’t be transferred back to the States. Well, it’s my mother, really.’ She paused for breath. ‘That’s pretty much me summed up. Paris is a beautiful city and I’d love to get to know it better,’ she sighed. ‘Now it’s your turn.’

‘You haven’t told me about the dinner party yet,’ said Alexandra, ‘but I will give you the salient facts about me. I grew up in London and don’t have any parents, although I do have relations who look out for me. I was living a lovely life with friends in a big house owned by my family, and now I have to go to Switzerland.’ She paused. ‘The relations found out I wasn’t behaving in a way they considered suitable, so they’ve told me I must buckle down and do what they say.’