He smiled. “Certainly not. I have a piece of advice for you, however.”

“I’m listening.”

“Don’t trust Judy Dean.”

Sophie’s eyes widened; the slight flirtation, which she could hardly help, vanished.

“But what do you mean?”

“Exactly what I say.”

“If you have something to accuse her of, you had best tell me now, don’t you think?”

Sophie’s eyes flickered uneasily towards Judy, deep in conversation with the reporters.

Montfort shook his head. He had warned Sophie; he could not be so ungentlemanly as to lay out the particulars for her.

“Judy is my friend,” Sophie said, firmly.

Montfort nodded impassively. “Thank you again for the invitation, Mme Massot,” he said politely.

He made his way quietly to the cloakroom and left. Sophie’s grey eyes followed him all the way out.

“Amazing.”

“Perfect.”

“Indeed, it is remarkable.” Pauline Vente smiled thinly at her colleagues. Each was now wishing the others away; as it was, they would have to share the scoop. “What a turnaround,” Pauline said. “Look—they are going to buy up every piece in the room.”

“It is the new Parisian success story,” Jeanne pronounced. “The dernier cri in couture gems.”

“Judy,” Bernard asked excitedly. “Tell me. Are all the pieces individual? All of them?”

Judy was forced to nod yes.

“Then once they are gone, they are gone? Just think—it is like buying an artwork.”

“An excellent comparison,” Pauline agreed.

“There will be a storm for Massot pieces. Not just in Paris, I think.”

“With this workmanship they are bound to rise in value.”

“Look, there is the Principessa di Savoia. She’s buying . . . what is that?”

“Earrings. Sapphire droplets, I think.”

“Where she leads all Milan follows.”

“I have to get out of here,” Pauline said, with triumph. “My deadline is tonight.” She would scoop the other two, and they glared at her.

“So . . . you really think this will make a difference?” Judy asked desperately. “I mean, it’s just one party.You think other people will react like this?”

“With this heat? It’s certain.” Jeanne’s eyes narrowed. “You do want Mme Sophie to succeed?”

“Of course. You don’t know how relieved I am. With all the expense . . .” Judy let her voice trail away, but nobody was taking the bait.

“Well-spent, every cent of it.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Judy said. She was too angry to continue; she could not let them see her disappointment. “I must mingle—excuse me.”

She slipped away from them, looking for the one person who still had the power to turn this evening around.

Katherine Massot had left before Sophie gave her speech. She announced, with imperial disdain, that she had seen enough; she had delivered stern comments to several of her friends, and she had told Thomas that her driver would return her to the dower house.