Mrs. Goldman turned around. “No, Cy. This is a charming young lady I met on the train. She was so helpful to me when I couldn’t get my bag down from the rack. And when she told me she was an up-and-coming costume designer and she was actually on her way out to see you, I insisted that she come along. What’s more she’s a real blue-blooded descendent of the Tudor family and I heard it just happens you’re making a movie about the Tudors. So I thought she might be quite a help in designing your costumes for you.”

I was staring in amazement. Of all the surreal things I had seen today this was the most unbelievable.

“Belinda,” I exclaimed.

Chapter 17

AT MR. GOLDMAN’S CASTLE, SOMEWHERE UP THE COAST FROM LOS ANGELES

AUGUST 3

Belinda dropped her train case and rushed toward me, flinging out her arms. “Georgie, darling. What a lovely, lovely surprise. Fancy meeting you of all people here.”

She looked back at Mrs. Goldman as she kissed my cheeks. “This is my oldest and dearest friend in the world. Lady Georgiana, you know. Cousin to His Majesty the king. I’d heard that you were in Los Angeles but I had no idea . . .” She looked around the group, beaming. “And your dear mama, and good heavens—there’s Darcy too. It’s like a family reunion.”

Mr. Goldman was looking bemused and for once speechless. “Let me get this straight. This kid is another Tudor relation? Did they breed like rabbits?”

“The British aristocratic families are all related to each other in some way,” I said, although I was fairly sure that Belinda was in no way linked to the Tudors. I was giving her full marks for her acting ability. She knew very well that we were with Mr. Goldman and that the film was about the Tudors. “This is Miss Warburton-Stoke. Belinda and I were at school together.”

Belinda turned the full force of her charm on Cy Goldman. “How do you do,” she said, “and how kind of you to include me at this lovely, lovely place.”

Of course then he could hardly say that he didn’t want to include her. He scratched his head. “Where are we going to put these people, Ronnie?” he asked.

“We can put Mr. Chaplin in the other poolside suite, if Miss Brightwell’s not using it,” Ronnie said. “And we can have Maria open up Trianon for Miss Kindell and the young English lady. Unless you’d like your new protégé to sleep in the big house, Mrs. Goldman?”

“Barbara can sleep in the big house with us,” Mrs. Goldman said firmly. “I want to have her close by, just in case I need her.”