Her nostrils twitched as they caught a whiff of something she thought was familiar. Very familiar. But it belonged to a different place – it belonged to London – to Belgrave Square-
Moonlight lay in knife-shaped patterns on the terrace. She took a step to the left and stumbled over something-
A monstrous head with preternaturally long ears leered up at her.
The head was made of papier-mâché. A gleaming object lay beside it. Two gleaming objects. Renée glanced over her shoulder, then stooping, she quickly picked up the smaller of the two objects and put it in her pocket.
It had taken her exactly three seconds to realize what the smaller object was and to whom it belonged. Had she been right about the smell then?
A moment later the others joined her on the terrace. Someone gasped-
Renée Glover’s expression didn’t change. She prided herself on being able to exercise perfect control over her emotions.
1
Before the FuneralIn St John’s Wood Lady Grylls was talking to her butler.
She was not wild about going to Roderick Remnant’s funeral, she wasn’t in any way obliged, she was merely a cousin twice removed, but there was nothing better to do at the moment, so would Provost have the goodness to get her hat out? Her funeral hat, she added, not her wedding one. The two hats were strangely similar and no one would notice, so perhaps it didn’t really matter, though of course one liked to do the right thing.
And could she have another glass of sherry? She didn’t think the hat needed cleaning, or dusting, for that matter. She had worn it only the other week, for Caroline Heppenstall’s funeral. Caroline had been a mere seventy-two. These days Lady Grylls went to more funerals and memorial services than weddings. Most of her friends’ grandchildren were already married and some of the great-grandchildren too, now wasn’t that extraordinary? Made one feel positively ancient.