“I have no intention of escaping,” I said. “But nobody said I had to remain a prisoner in my house. My mother is giving a party and I am helping her. So if you want to come with me to keep an eye on me, you’re welcome to do so. In fact, you can help me find the right shop for these items.” I waved the list again. I could see indecision on his face. He knew he couldn’t let me go alone, but the thought of shopping with a young woman was daunting. Duty won out.

“Very well. I shall accompany you. But I warn you—if you try to make an escape, you will be returned to a jail cell.”

“No escape, I promise. I wouldn’t want to miss the party tonight,” I said and climbed into the backseat of the Mercedes. The young policeman got in beside me, ignoring the dirty look he got from Franz.

One thing I realized as we drove into town was that I probably wouldn’t have time to seek out Bobby Groper today, unless I happened to bump into him. In fact, I rather suspected that by the time I had fulfilled Mummy’s commissions, I’d have to rush back to deliver them for the party. Oh, well. It was better than sitting around at home all day. The weather was perfect, the sea was blue, the sky even bluer, and a walk along the Promenade would be enough to raise my spirits.

With assistance from my poor policeman friend, whose name turned out to be Marcel, I located lemons and paper lanterns and even fireworks and a selection of carnival masks. It really was rather fun shopping in the market and having someone to carry the stuff back to the car. I got some funny looks from people as I strode ahead with a uniformed policeman in tow, loaded with my packages. When we had finished, I treated him to a coffee at one of the little outdoor cafés, then told him I was going to walk along the seafront to get some fresh air. He didn’t have to accompany me, I said. He could sit on one of the benches and watch me. He agreed to this, obviously not having enjoyed the indignity of the shopping.