“You need to get right away for a bit,” Binky said. His face lit up. “I tell you what—Fig may have mentioned that we’re off to the south of France next week. Ducky and Foggy have bought a villa. Actually ‘villa’ is rather a grand description of what seems to be a rather poky little house . . .”

“When one buys an ordinary little house in Nice one refers to it as a villa, Binky,” Fig corrected.

“Very well.” Binky shrugged. “Anyway, as I was saying, we’re off to this so-called villa and perhaps you should come with us.”

“Oh golly,” I said at the same time as Fig said, “Oh no, Binky!”

“But, Fig. This is my sister,” he said. “If she’s in a spot of bother, it’s up to us to rescue her.”

Fig’s eyes were darting nervously now. “You just said yourself it was a poky little house, Binky. ‘Little’ being the operative word. There would be no room for Georgiana.”

“She could share a bedroom with Maude,” Binky said. “They got along so splendidly last time, didn’t they?”

Which shows you how sweet but utterly clueless my brother was. I was still speechless. I was still remembering the last disastrous stay at a villa in Nice, when I had to share with Ducky’s daughter there too. Actually Maude and I had loathed each other at first sight. Ducky had been so stingy with the food that it was almost one lettuce leaf each, and Ducky’s husband, Foggy, had made advances to me when he caught me alone in the hall. There was absolutely no way I was going with them to the Riviera.

“How kind of you,” I said, “but I really couldn’t inconvenience you like that. As I told Fig, there are plenty of places I can go. My mother has said she’d love to have me with them in Berlin, and they now have a villa on Lake Lugano.”

“She’s still with that German chap?” Binky asked.

“Yes. In fact they plan to marry,” I said.

“You know, that might not be a bad idea for Georgiana,” Fig said, waving a finger at Binky now. “There are still plenty of young German counts and barons and I gather life in Berlin is an absolute social whirl. I wouldn’t know, of course, not having the means to travel. But you should consider it, Georgiana. Your mother’s beau is stinking rich, so one hears. You’d have a lovely time. And you might finally meet someone. Someone rich and suitable.”

“But I don’t want to meet someone, Fig. And please don’t worry about me. I’m sure I can take care of myself. You go and have a lovely time with Ducky and Foggy. Just take care you don’t put on too much weight.”