“Can’t say I know him well at all.”

“Oh, so you’re one of Primrose’s lot then. Stunning girl.”

“You see how easy it is?” Darcy whispered. “The only difficulty arises when there is a sit-down banquet with assigned places at the table.”

“What on earth do you do then?” I asked, the panic returning as I looked around to detect evidence of an adjoining dining room.

“I make my apologies for having to catch a train and I melt away before it starts. But this one is only nibbles and cake. I checked first. I usually do.”

“You’re amazing.”

He laughed. “We Irish have learned to live by our wits after centuries of being occupied by you English.”

“If you don’t mind, I happen to be Scottish. Well, one-quarter Scottish anyway.”

“Ah, but it was your great-grandmother who went around subjugating half the world. Empress of all I survey, and all that. You must have that quality somewhere in your makeup.”

“I’ve never had a chance to subjugate anybody yet, so I can’t really say,” I confessed, “but I’m frequently amused and she never was, apparently. At least not after Albert died. In fact, given my grim list of ancestors, I’d say I’m pretty normal.”

“I’d say you turned out pretty damned well, for someone who is more than half English,” he said and, to my annoyance, I blushed again.

“I think I’ll go and try some of that crab,” I said and turned away, only to bump into a familiar face.

“Darling!” Belinda cried excitedly, “I had no idea you were coming to this bash. Why didn’t you tell me? We could have taken a cab together. What fun, isn’t it? Who’d have thought that Primrose would settle down with someone like Roly?”

“Primrose?” I glanced across the room to glimpse the bride’s back, hidden beneath a long veil around which everybody was cautiously stepping.

“The bride, darling. Primrose Asquey d’Asquey. She was at school with us, don’t you remember? Well, for one term anyway. She was expelled for giving the new girls a lecture on how to use the Dutch cap.”

We looked at each other and started to laugh.

“I do remember,” I said.

“And now she’s marrying Roland Aston-Poley. Military family. Which means she’s gone from being Primrose

Asquey d’Asquey to being Primrose Roly Poley. Not a happy choice, if you ask me.”

I laughed with her.

“So you’re part of Roly’s brigade then,” she said. “I didn’t realize you had army connections.”

“Not really.” I started to blush again, then grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the main crush of guests. “Actually I’m here with an extraordinary chap. Darcy O’Mara. Do you know him?”

“Can’t say that I do. Point him out to me.”

“Over there by that flower arrangement.”

“I say. Not bad. You can introduce me anytime you want to. Tell me all about him.”

“That’s just it,” I whispered. “I’m not really sure if he’s who he claims to be or a confidence trickster.”