‘You bloody fool.’ Vernon reached across the desk and grabbed him by the tie. ‘How many times have I got to tell you? No trouble in the club. What do you want to do – bankrupt me?’ He shoved Stratton away from him and poured another glass of champagne. ‘Keep an eye on them. I’ll be down myself in ten minutes.’

Harriet had a small, but exciting run of luck at Roulette that took her up to seventy pounds.

‘I think I’d better try something else while I’m ahead,’ she said. ‘What are they playing over there?’

‘One of the oldest games of chance in the world,’ Miller told her. ‘You simply throw the dice and pray that the right number comes up.’

‘Any skill required?’

‘Not to my knowledge.’

‘Then that’s the game for me.’

The table was a popular one and not only were all the seats taken, but a fair-sized crowd stood around watching. Harriet had to wait for five minutes before her chance came. The first time she threw, she didn’t cast the dice far enough and the croupier handed them back to her with a whispered instruction. There were one or two good-humoured remarks and then she made two straight passes and doubled her money.

There were encouraging smiles from the crowd and she laughed excitedly. ‘These dice can’t possibly have any more luck in them. Can I have a new pair?’

‘Certainly, madame.’

The croupier passed them across and removed the others. Harriet rattled the dice in one hand and threw a pair of ones. ‘Snakes’ eyes,’ said a military-looking gentleman with a curving moustache who was standing next to her. ‘Bad luck.’

She tried again with no better luck and the third throw cleaned her out. ‘How strange,’ she said with a little laugh. ‘I just keep getting a pair of ones, don’t I?’

‘The luck of the game, my dear,’ the military-looking man said.

She picked up the dice and rolled them gently no more than a foot or so. ‘Look, there they are again. It just isn’t my night.’

The croupier’s rake reached out, but the military man beat him to it, a frown on his face. ‘Not so fast there.’

‘I hope monsieur is not suggesting that there could be anything wrong with the dice?’

‘We’ll see, shall we?’

He rattled the dice together and threw them the length of the table. Snakes’ eyes. The croupier’s rake moved out, but the military man beat him to it again. ‘Oh, no you don’t, my friend. These dice are loaded.’ There was a sudden hubbub amongst the crowd and he turned to an elderly, white-haired man at his side. ‘See for yourself.’

The elderly man tossed the dice across the table and the result was plain for all to see. Voices were raised suddenly, people got up from other tables and came across as the news spread like wildfire.