“The agency charges two guineas,” I said.

“Two guineas?” She sounded shocked.

“It is a specialized service, madam, and we have to make sure our staff is the finest.”

“Of course you do.”

“And it’s probably cheaper than bringing your staff up from Hampshire.”

“Of course it is. Very well, I’ll leave the money in an envelope you’ll find when you come to strip the bed in the morning.”

I hung up the phone with a big smile of satisfaction on my face.

Now there was just the question of what I was going to wear. I went below stairs and rummaged in the servants’ cupboard until I found a suitable black housemaid’s dress and white apron. I even added a jaunty little white cap for style. I couldn’t be seen leaving Belgrave Square wearing it, of course.

I was creeping downstairs in my maid’s uniform, trying not to wake Binky, when suddenly he called to me from the library.

“Georgie, old thing, would you come in here? I thought I’d do a little research into the history of Castle Rannoch,” he said. “I thought that maybe there might be something in our family history or documents granting us peerage that states that the Glenrannoch property can never be bequeathed away from the family.”

“Good idea,” I said, standing in shadow on the stairs so that Binky wouldn’t notice what I was wearing.

“And it’s frightfully chilly in here, so I wondered, since you’re a wizard at lighting fires, whether you’d get me a small blaze going in here.”

“Sorry, old thing, but I have an appointment,” I said. “I’m just dashing out the door. You’ll have to find a scarf and gloves, I’m afraid, until I get back.”

“Confound it, Georgie, how can I be expected to turn pages with gloves on? Can’t you be a teeny bit late?” He poked his head around the door, sounding petulant. “Aren’t women supposed to be late for everything? I know Fig always is. Spends hours doing things to her eyebrows, I believe, but you always look—” He broke off when he saw me. “Why are you wearing that extraordinary garb? It looks like something the servants would wear.”

“It’s for a silly hen party, Binky,” I said breathlessly. “We’re all to come dressed as maids. One of these prewedding things, you know.”

“Oh, right. Oh, yes, I see.” He nodded. “Oh, all right then. Off you go. Have a good time and all that.”

I grabbed my overcoat to cover the maid’s uniform and fled. Outside the house I heaved a sigh of relief. That was a close one. I hadn’t thought of the problems that could be caused by having to avoid people I knew.

I did say a silent prayer, as I approached the house on Regent’s Park Crescent where I was to pick up the key, that nobody would recognize me. Luckily Regent’s Park is not quite as top drawer as Belgravia or Mayfair. Not likely to be frequented by my family and acquaintances. However, I did look around as I went up the steps and knocked on the adjoining front door. The maid looked me up and down with a look of utter disapproval, and didn’t invite me in while she summoned the housekeeper. The housekeeper opened her mouth in horror when she saw me standing there.