Bill, who had returned from the garage, broke in reassuringly.

“That’s all right, Lady Coote. Bundle Brent⁠—Lord Caterham’s daughter⁠—is a great friend of mine. And there’s nothing she’d stick at⁠—absolutely nothing! You can take it from me. And anyway there’s not going to be any damage done. This is quite a quiet affair.”

“Subtle,” said the girl called Socks.

Lady Coote went sadly along the terrace just as Gerald Wade emerged from the breakfast-room. Jimmy Thesiger was a fair, cherubic young man, and all that could be said of Gerald Wade was that he was fairer and more cherubic, and that his vacuous expression made Jimmy’s face quite intelligent by contrast.

“ ’Morning, Lady Coote,” said Gerald Wade. “Where are all the others?”

“They’ve all gone to Market Basing,” said Lady Coote.

“What for?”