“Nonsense. It is very healthy. We all seek fame. I’m just honest about it.” Coco stood up and went over to the railing, looking out over the ocean. “It looks as if the weather will break later,” she said. “We should get busy right away.”

I took a deep breath, not at all comfortable about confronting three such formidable women. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to do all those things today,” I said. “I have a date with Sir Toby Groper.”

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Villa Marguerite
January 26, 1933
Weather not too promising. If I’m to go sailing it should be
soon, but Mummy has other plans.

“Sir Toby?” My mother wrinkled her nose. “What on earth for?”

“He invited me to swim in his pool and take a jaunt on his yacht,” I said. “I felt I should take him up on it before he forgets.”

“I can’t think of anything worse than swimming in a pool with something resembling a pink walrus,” Mummy said. “Besides, I don’t think Olga is going to welcome the presence of a younger woman. She’ll probably push you off the cliff when nobody’s looking.”

“I believe Olga has departed, judging from the scene I witnessed yesterday,” I said.

“Dear me, I wonder what brought that on?” Mummy said.

“Something he’d found out about her, I gather. She was livid and stormed out uttering curses.”

“Fascinating. In that case I insist that you go and visit him immediately and get all the juicy details. I adore scandals, don’t you, Coco?”

“You know I do,” Coco said.

“I say, you two,” Vera said peevishly, “surely the queen’s necklace is more important than gossip with Sir Toby. We must forge ahead with our investigation. The telegram and the princesses . . .”

“I simply couldn’t call on the princesses at this hour of the morning. It isn’t done, is it?” I said. “And as for Bobby Groper—you know very well that young Englishmen only rise before noon to hunt. So I think I can safely leave them until this afternoon. And you could send the telegram for me when you go into town, couldn’t you, Mummy?”

“I suppose I could,” my mother said with a sigh as if this was a huge imposition, “but I can’t understand this fascination with Toby Groper. Why is it so important you go to visit him? He’s not attractive, he’s only just about socially acceptable and he’s not even pleasant.”

Oh, dear, what could I say? “I know all of those things. But—well, you have to understand, after the austere life I’ve led, an invitation on a yacht as well as a swim in a heated swimming pool do sound frightfully exciting. Who knows when I’ll ever be invited on a yacht again.” I realized even as I was saying these things that they made me sound horribly shallow.