I looked at her with surprise. She was so beautiful that there were times when I forgot how sharp she was. I went upstairs and worked hard on my telegram to Granddad. It had to be perfect to lure him out of England when he had avowed never to set foot abroad.

GRANDDAD. I’M IN A SPOT OF TROUBLE. REALLY NEED YOUR HELP. COULD YOU POSSIBLY COME? LADIES HERE WILL ARRANGE FOR YOUR FARE AND TICKETS. BESIDES THE CLIMATE WOULD BE WONDERFUL FOR YOUR CHEST.

When I took it downstairs it produced peals of laughter from the others.

“One can see the child has never sent a telegram in her life,” Coco said. “The secret, ma chère, is to take out all unnecessary words or it costs a fortune. Voilà.”

She went through, striking out most of what I had said.

IN TROUBLE. NEED YOUR HELP. FARE PAID. ALL ARRANGED. ALSO CLIMATE BENEFICIAL. RSVP IMMEDIATELY.

“It sounds so impersonal,” I said. “I don’t know if he’ll come if he gets that.”

“Let the child say what she wants.” Mummy took the paper from Coco. “We don’t exactly need to economize, do we?” And she walked off with my original telegram.

Meanwhile I went upstairs to dress for my encounter with Sir Toby. I put on my cleanest, least crinkled cotton frock and dared to add a touch of rouge and lipstick. When I came down again I was met by two critical stares.

“This is what you wear to visit Sir Toby?” Chanel asked. I nodded.

“Ma petite, you will not get any gossip out of him dressed like that. You are supposed to enchant him. Instead you look like a schoolgirl collecting donations for the starving children in China.”

“I say, that’s a bit harsh,” Vera interjected, but added, “I do see her point. It’s not the most alluring of dresses.”

“I don’t think I mean to allure him,” I said.

“But at least you should charm him,” Coco said. “Show us your wardrobe. What else do you have?”

Reluctantly I led them upstairs. Even more reluctantly I opened the wardrobe. Even to my eyes at home my wardrobe was not what you would call chic. To the most fashionable woman in the world it would obviously appear as—

“Mon Dieu,” Coco exclaimed. “Where do you find your clothes? At the convent? These are the clothes of a young woman who wishes to become a nun.”

“I haven’t had the money to buy anything recently,” I said, my cheeks flaming. “My brother cut me off and it’s not easy trying to survive alone.”

She looked at me with sympathy. “This I know. I have survived alone all these years. But then I had a talent. You must find your talent, my child. And in the meantime, we must help her, Vera. What do we have that she can wear today?”