‘You, my Lady Allenham, are most observant,’ he teased as he assisted me and my maid into his Berlin. ‘I herald from County Mayo, but have made my fortune in England. Breeding stock. Some of the finest champions to be found in Europe were bred in my stables. Why, I am presently en route to Paris from the court of the Duke of Württemberg, who has made a purchase of some stud. I fear I am ever upon the road . . . or else in the halls of the great courts.’ He sighed theatrically, as if to convince me that such a life was a terrible imposition. ‘My lady, will you permit me to remove you from the depredations of the road and this wretched climate to an inn at Saint-Quentin until your carriage is repaired? The Soleil d’Or keeps a table far superior to that of the other hostelries.’

To this offer I heartily agreed, though not without some reservation. I thought this man a curious specimen: part macaroni, part sportsman, part Irishman, part gentleman, part coxcomb, part toad-eater. Although I was most grateful to him, I could not deny that I studied him with a wary eye.

‘Allenham?’ questioned he, as the wheels of his coach were set into motion. ‘I am unfamiliar with that family . . .’

‘The Barons Allenham, of Herberton in Gloucestershire,’ I announced.

‘And his lordship . . .?’

‘His lordship is presently in Paris.’

Savill responded with an inquisitive arch of a brow.

‘And he has summoned you there?’

‘Yes,’ I affirmed, straightening my head.

My inquisitor paused for a long beat, his smile not wavering for an instant. I recognized that my tale required further weight in order to fix it as truth in Andrew Savill’s mind.

‘We have been resident in Brussels for some time, where his lordship holds a position under Viscount Torrington, His Majesty’s ambassador to the Austrian Netherlands.’

Mr Savill continued to gaze upon me and smile, as if not a single word of mine had penetrated his brain.

‘Ah, Brussels,’ sighed he at last. ‘The casinos, the Théâtre de la Monnaie. It is all the same faces and dull beyond description. I dare say you will find Paris most diverting by comparison, the current troubles notwithstanding. And pray tell, my lady, where does his lordship reside in that fair city?’

‘Where?’ I echoed. Indeed, for an instant he had taken me entirely unawares. It was here, scarcely a handful of minutes into our acquaintance, when I feared my entire story would be torn upon this one sharp question. I had made no arrangements for my lodgings in Paris. Why, any hotel that featured among Mr Nugent’s recommendations would have sufficed until I sent word of my arrival to Allenham at the embassy. ‘His lordship resides with His Majesty’s ambassador there.’

‘At the home of Lord Gower and Lady Sutherland?’

‘Indeed, sir. At the home of Lord Gower.’ I swallowed.