‘She wasn’t Italian by birth. She was born and brought up in Scotland – in the house on the loch that she told me so much about as we lay in her hammock. I think she had an idyllic childhood, or so it sounded to me as a little girl. Lots of freedom; lots of animals; lots of laughter, lots of love – all the things I’d always longed for. She obviously adored her elder brother. Then, when she was eighteen, she was sent out to Italy to learn about art and culture, and also, so she told me, to learn how to behave like a polite young lady instead of the unruly wildcat her mother said she was turning into. Apparently it didn’t work out as her family hoped. While she was there she met the love of her life, an Italian from an old aristocratic family, a landowner with estates in the south of Italy, whom she first of all ran away with – causing frightful scandal – and eventually married in the teeth of both families’ disapproval.’

‘Why did her family disapprove of the marriage so much? A landed count sounds rather a catch to me.’

‘Because he was fifteen years older than her; because he was a Roman Catholic and her family were Protestants. Worst of all because he was married and he left his Italian wife for her – big disgrace as you can imagine with both families furious and unforgiving. Obviously not much Christian charity on either side.’ Marnie paused.

‘And?’ prompted Louisa.

‘And her diaries weren’t all she left me,’ said Marnie. ‘It’s unbelievable really but she left me . . . nearly everything. Everything that was hers to leave, that is. I believe there were estates in Calabria and an apartment in Rome and those had to go to a nephew of her husband’s. You can’t imagine the shock when my father told me all this only a few months ago. He broke it to me about her death at the time of course and was very sweet to me because I was extremely upset – but he never said a word then about inheriting money. I remember it vividly. I suppose everyone probably remembers the first time someone’s death really touches them personally. The Contessa made him my trustee together with an Italian lawyer and swore him to secrecy. She left it up to him to decide exactly when I should be told but suggested it should be after my twenty-fifth birthday. She thought I ought to have more experience of life before I got control of what is a serious amount of money.’

Louisa gazed at her. So Giles had been right: Marnie had indeed inherited a fortune. ‘What was in the parcel she gave you when she said goodbye to you? The first clue?’