“An Irish peer. They have different rules of behavior over there. And the family’s bankrupt. He has no inheritance and no profession. He’ll never be able to support a wife, as I’ve told Georgiana before. I blame him entirely. He has seduced her, Binky, and now she won’t think of marrying anyone suitable.”

“Maybe she’ll meet someone on the Riviera,” Binky said. My eyes shot open at this remark. “Romantic setting and all that, what?”

“Binky, much as I would like to help your sister find a suitable husband, I must protest. Do you know how much a ticket on the Blue Train costs? And we’ll have to pay for my maid and you’ll need Frederick—we’ll send them third class on an ordinary train, of course, but it will still be a considerable expense.”

“Then what’s going to happen to Georgie? She can’t go on living here with no heat and no servants in the middle of winter.”

“Of course she can’t,” came Fig’s impatient voice. “The house should be closed up properly. She’ll just have to go back to Scotland if she wants to continue to live at our grace and favor. We have to keep Castle Rannoch running anyway. She can take little Podge back with her when we leave, and give him some lessons. He’s almost four. It’s about time he learned to read and write.”

“You want to send your son back to Scotland, Fig? You don’t think he should get the benefit of sun and sea with us?”

“Children flourish with a firm routine, Binky. And it would be two more tickets to France. We’d have to pay Nanny’s ticket as well.”

“Well, I think the little chap should come with us,” Binky said, more firmly than he usually spoke to Fig. “I never had much to do with my parents. My mother died when I was a baby, as you know, and Father was always gadding about. I was left up in Scotland with Nanny and then shipped off to school at the first opportunity. I know how lonely it felt.”

“Very well, if you insist.” Fig sighed. “I suppose we won’t have to pay a separate ticket for him if he shares our berth on the train, will we? But I really do draw the line at Georgiana. It’s money we simply don’t have, Binky. Simply don’t have. You must be firm but tell her nicely. We’d love to have her with us but it just isn’t feasible.”