Coco came and put an arm around me. “She’s young; she’s excited about being on the Riviera for the first time. Who can blame her?”

“If she wants fun and romance, she should not be looking in the direction of Toby Groper, that’s what I’m saying,” Mummy said. “Old enough to be her father and with terrible taste in women.”

“Besides, one hears that Lady Groper has arrived on the scene,” Vera added. “She’s a fearsome woman if ever there was one. I remember her from my coming-out days—Lady Margaret Huntingdon-Blague, daughter of the Earl of Romney. Even then she was what one might call strong willed—bloody minded would be more like it.”

“I have no intention of showing any romantic interest in Sir Toby,” I said.

“Then it must be his son,” Coco exclaimed. “Nobody goes to all this trouble for a swim in a pool.”

“Do you tie everything in to sex?” I asked.

“But of course. Doesn’t everyone?” Coco laughed.

“Anyway, the same goes for Sir Toby as those other people,” Mummy said. “He won’t be up and ready to receive guests for hours.”

“One of his guests was up and swimming in the pool really early.” I tried to toss off the words, but instead I felt myself blushing at the memory of that beautiful naked body.

“Even so, I don’t think you would endear yourself to Sir Toby if you arrived on his doorstep too early,” Mummy said. “As you said, it simply isn’t done. Not that he would know—nasty little upstart.”

I thought that was rather amusing, coming from the daughter of a London policeman, but Mummy still acted the role of Duchess of Rannoch, even if she no longer officially held the position. Breakfast arrived and we worked our way through coffee and croissants while my table companions argued about what they should be doing to recover the necklace and how they could prevent the news from coming to the queen’s ears. As they talked, I was planning out exactly what I’d say to Sir Toby Groper. He didn’t know who I was last night. At some time I’d either have to lie to him about my name or tell the truth. Either was fraught with difficulty : If I told him I was one of Coco’s models, he could have me arrested for stealing the snuffbox—provided I managed to get my hands on it. However, if I told him my true identity, he would realize that he had insulted my mother and that I came with strong royal ties—so he might well hide the snuffbox away.