“And you think I took them?”

“You told me yourself that you are penniless and you live by your wits. I imagine your lifestyle with the nightclubs and the women is rather expensive to maintain. And who would notice an odd piece of Georgian silver missing? You’re just damned lucky that I didn’t tell the police, but now I’m their obvious suspect. It’s bad enough that they think Binky and I murdered de Mauxville. Now they also think I do burglaries on the side. So if you really are anything of a gentleman, you’ll return those items immediately and go and confess.”

“So that’s what you think of me—that I’m a thief?”

“Don’t play the innocent with me. I’ve been stupidly naïve over too many things. Why else would you pretend to be interested in me after you found out I had no money? I certainly couldn’t offer the delights of a Belinda Warburton-Stoke.”

With that I fled before I started to cry. He didn’t attempt to come after me.

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Rannoch House
Wednesday, May 4, 1932

I was overcome with gloom. Fig had arrived and made it clear that she didn’t appreciate having my grandfather in the house. She’d found fault with everything, including the fact that the house was too warm and it was an unheard-of expense to run a boiler for one person. Grandfather beat a hasty retreat, telling me I was welcome to stay with him, and I was left alone with Fig and her maid. I don’t think I had ever felt more wretched. What else can possibly go wrong? I wondered.

I didn’t have long to wait. Fig’s maid handed me a letter that had just been hand-delivered from the palace. Her Majesty would like to see me immediately. Strangely enough, Fig was quite put out by it. “How is it that Her Majesty wants to see you?” she demanded.

“I am a relative,” I replied, rubbing in the fact that she wasn’t.

“Perhaps I should go with you,” she said. “Her Majesty is of the old school and would not like the thought of an unmarried woman going around without a chaperon.”

“Kind of you, but no, thanks,” I said. “I am not likely to be accosted going up Constitution Hill.”

“What can she possibly want?” Fig went on. “If she wanted to speak to anybody about poor Binky’s current situation, she’d speak to me.”

“I have no idea,” I said.