Brushing off the hat, I moved forwards, the brandy making me bold. At a pair of open doors I paused, peering inside. I saw a lounge, empty of people, flickering with candlelight. The remains of a buffet littered a sideboard and before I knew it I was rushing inside, seizing a bread roll from a basket and cramming it into my mouth, glancing over my shoulder. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten properly and on seeing that food, the flash and fire of the brandy disappeared, leaving my belly as empty as a cavern.

I had no idea what most of it was. Eggs sprinkled with red powder, I stuffed one of those down, and a strange thing in a pastry case that tasted like fish. After the opulence of the house and the gardens, I had expected the food to be the same. It wasn’t. The fish was on the turn, the eggs chalky. I seized a cutlet next, which sat in a pool of congealed cream sauce. It was not much better. I licked my fingers and turned to find the next dish.

‘I say.’

A woman was standing in the door. I froze, hoping the dim light would hide any green stains on my clothes.

‘Don’t s’pose you’ve seen Claude?’ she asked.

She was drunk, I realized, her eyes unfocused. I shook my head and fled through another set of doors on to a veranda. There were more people here, reclining on cushions that had been thrown on the marble tiles with no regard for dust or dirt. The music and noise and conversation was louder than before. On a low table beside me, a drink had been abandoned. I picked it up and took a gulp only to cough and grimace at the sting of raw liquor. I held it to the light. It glowed grenadine-red, but like the food, it didn’t taste right, left a sticky burning in my throat.

I kept hold of it anyway, trying to look as if I belonged, even though I was sweating, my hands clammy and trembling. Now that I was here, I had no idea how to go about my plan. Find Langham, I told myself, ask to speak to him in private. I swallowed hard. What happened next would depend on his reaction.

Ahead, a string of electric bulbs illuminated a path to a raised terrace, where the party was in full swing. Around a small swimming pool, people sat drinking, talking, their shoes flung off, their teeth and eyes catching the light. There was a splash: a woman in a silver dress had leapt fully clothed into the pool. She emerged to applause, the jewels around her neck sparkling with water.