The crossing was smooth. The white cliffs of Dover looked welcoming. There were snowdrops and early primroses growing along the rail embankment and white clouds scudding across a blue sky. Binky and Fig had returned to Rannoch House ahead of me, since Fig wanted to be back in England in good time for the birth of the new little Rannoch.

“There’s a package waiting for you, my lady,” Hamilton said as he helped me out of my coat and hat. They were, incidentally, a new fur coat and matching hat, courtesy of my mother, and in my cabin trunk were several Chanel gowns. I’d no longer be the worst dressed at any social gathering. Jean-Paul would have been proud of me.

I went up to my room and opened the brown paper wrapping and out tumbled the queen’s necklace. There was a note with it. I didn’t want you to incur any blame for this, it said. And, yes, it is the real thing. It was signed with a line of kisses, and underneath, in smaller script: And in case you’re wondering—the brandy decanter. I was holding it all the time.

I stood looking down at the note and smiled in spite of myself. There was no mention of the sticky stuff on the sole of my shoe, I noted. Had Jean-Paul left that part to Jeanine? Or was it possible that I had only imagined the sticky sole and the fall had been simply a result of my usual clumsiness? I supposed I’d never know now.

I delivered the necklace to the queen the next afternoon, along with the snuffbox. She looked awfully pleased. “I never thought I’d see these again. How strange some people are, to get pleasure from things not rightfully theirs.”

“Especially when both men already owned so many beautiful things, ma’am,” I replied. “Their houses were full of paintings and antiques.”

“I gather you put yourself in considerable danger to recover these for me,” she said. “It was wrong of me to have asked you. One should never put things before people.”

She looked at me appraisingly. “You are a splendid girl, Georgiana,” she said. “A credit to the family. What do you plan to do now? It isn’t good for a girl like you to be idle. I wish we could find you a suitable husband.”

“I’m sure I’ll find one soon enough, ma’am,” I said hastily. “And in the meantime I’m open to suggestions to keep me busy.”

I didn’t add that Darcy was due back in town by the end of the week.

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Historical Note

Historical Note