“But very nice. Elegant,” Miss Deer-Harte said, smiling kindly. She was wearing a simple flowery afternoon dress, quite wrong for the occasion.

“I hope I can sleep tonight,” she whispered to me. “One can only go so long without sleep but the door to my room does not lock and with all that creeping around . . .”

The dinner gong sounded. Anton came to take my arm.

“What-ho, old thing,” he said.

“Did you go to the same English public school as your brother?” I asked.

“Yes, only I was expelled,” he said. “Or rather, politely asked to leave. Smoking in the bathrooms one time too many, I’m afraid. But I did pick up the lingo rather well.” He grinned at me. “Your friend Belinda, she is a cracker, isn’t she? A real live wire.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Too bad she is not royal.”

“Her father is a baronet,” I said. “She is an honorable.”

He sighed. “Probably not good enough, I’m afraid. Father is such a stickler for doing the right thing and family comes first and all that bosh. As if it matters who I marry. Nick will be king and produce sons and I’ll never see the throne anyway.”

“Would you want to?”

“I suppose I prefer my free and easy life, actually,” he said. “I’ve been studying chemistry in Heidelberg. Good fun.”

“You’re lucky,” I said. “I’d have loved to go to university.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I’m a girl. I’m supposed to marry. Nobody was willing to pay for me.”

“Too bad.”

A trumpet sounded. The doors to the dining hall were opened by two of those servants in the splendid black and silver livery and we processed through. This time I was seated with Hannelore on one side of me and Anton on the other. Nicholas sat opposite with Matty on one side, and Field Marshal Pirin had again managed to position himself on the other. If anything, Pirin was wearing even more medals and orders this time. He looked first at me, then at Hannelore and his face lit up.

“This is good. Two pretty girls tonight for me to feast the eyes upon. Very nice. Feast for eyes and feast for stomach at same time.” His smile was disconcerting. As my mother had said the night before, he was mentally undressing us.

“Beware that horrid man. He was pinching my bottom yesterday,” Hannelore whispered to me.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already encountered him and I’m avoiding him,” I whispered back.