“Where is he?” I was really angry now, even though I knew she had the gun and she was probably going to shoot me. “What have you done with him?”

“I told you he was safe, and he is, for the time being. He’s tied up in the boot of my car. He was there, behind you, all the time.” She laughed as if this was a good joke as she moved nimbly along the float and untied the craft from its buoy.

“Then why take the trouble to bring me out here? You could have shot me in the boathouse and tossed my body into the water.”

“I could have, but I decided that you’d do just as well as a hostage. You swam here under your own steam and I don’t have to go to the trouble of carrying your nephew from the motorcar and risk being seen. Please sit down. I promised to take you up, didn’t I? Well, now you’re getting your chance.”

I noticed, really for the first time, that she was wearing a leather flight jacket. She had come prepared. I was already soaking wet. It was quite likely I was going to freeze to death before she shot me or tipped me out.

“Sit,” she commanded again, indicating the front seat. I had no choice. I sat.

She rummaged in one of the bags in the backseat and threw something at me. “Here.” It was a pair of goggles. “Now strap yourself in.”

“Why are you doing this?” I demanded. “What have we ever done to you?”

“Robbed me of my birthright,” she said. “You know who my father was, don’t you? He was the heir to the throne. The Duke of Clarence.”

“The Duke of Clarence? He was your father? But he died long before you were born.”

“He didn’t die. It was a monstrous conspiracy,” she said. “They kidnapped him and had him shut away up here. He never recovered his health and died when I was a baby, so I’ve been told. So when you look at it that way, I’m the rightful heir to the throne.”

“Even if this is true, I’m sure he didn’t marry your mother, so you’re not the rightful heir to anything.”

“He did marry her,” she said angrily. “He did. She told me.”

“No one would ever believe you,” I said.

“No. That’s why this was the only way to get back at the stupid royal family. And I must say I’ve enjoyed it. I never intended to kill anyone, you know. Just frighten them. Just make them feel they were never safe. And I succeeded.”

“But why? Why waste your energy on that when you have so much to live for? You’re a famous woman. You’ve set records. You’ll go down in the history books.”