Naughty In Nice (A Royal Spyness Mystery)

the list.
    He looked very worried. “I do not think my chief would want you to go into the town alone. It would be too easy for you to board a train or the boat of a friend and thus escape.”
    “I have no intention of escaping,” I said. “But nobody said I had to remain a prisoner in my house. My mother is giving a party and I am helping her. So if you want to come with me to keep an eye on me, you’re welcome to do so. In fact, you can help me find the right shop for these items.” I waved the list again. I could see indecision on his face. He knew he couldn’t let me go alone, but the thought of shopping with a young woman was daunting. Duty won out.
    “Very well. I shall accompany you. But I warn you—if you try to make an escape, you will be returned to a jail cell.”
    “No escape, I promise. I wouldn’t want to miss the party tonight,” I said and climbed into the backseat of the Mercedes. The young policeman got in beside me, ignoring the dirty look he got from Franz.
    One thing I realized as we drove into town was that I probably wouldn’t have time to seek out Bobby Groper today, unless I happened to bump into him. In fact, I rather suspected that by the time I had fulfilled Mummy’s commissions, I’d have to rush back to deliver them for the party. Oh, well. It was better than sitting around at home all day. The weather was perfect, the sea was blue, the sky even bluer, and a walk along the Promenade would be enough to raise my spirits.
    With assistance from my poor policeman friend, whose name turned out to be Marcel, I located lemons and paper lanterns and even fireworks and a selection of carnival masks. It really was rather fun shopping in the market and having someone to carry the stuff back to the car. I got some funny looks from people as I strode ahead with a uniformed policeman in tow, loaded with my packages. When we had finished, I treated him to a coffee at one of the little outdoor cafés, then told him I was going to walk along the seafront to get some fresh air. He didn’t have to accompany me, I said. He could sit on one of the benches and watch me. He agreed to this, obviously not having enjoyed the indignity of the shopping.
    I stood for a while in the fresh breeze blowing off the sea. After the previous day’s rainstorm, the sea was still choppy, and waves hissed and crashed, rattling the pebbles. I found myself scanning the beach to see if I could spot Darcy. If only, I thought, and I reminded myself that Jean-Paul was filling his shoes quite admirably. He had rescued me twice—once from Sir Toby’s clutches and then again, obviously having paid a large amount of bail money to have me released from jail. And he was gorgeous and rich and everything a girl could want—except that he wasn’t Darcy. However much I tried to fool myself, I still cared horribly about Darcy, and thinking of him produced an almost physical hurt in my heart.
    But the day was too windy and even the hardy types were not swimming in the sea. I turned away to continue my walk when I heard my name being called, and there, coming toward me, were the two elderly princesses from the night of my modeling disaster. The spry little French princess was walking beside an old-fashioned wicker bath chair in which the large Russian princess sat, being pushed by a formidable woman dressed in black.
    “Lady Georgiana. How lovely to see you,” Princess Marie said in English, holding out her dainty hand, clad in a gray silk glove, to me. “I trust you suffered no lasting injury from your tumble the other night?”
    “No, thank you. I am fully recovered,” I said. “And I hope that the princess also suffered no ill effects.”
    “She did not, I am pleased to say.” She smiled at me, patting my hand now. “So all is well, and we take a nice stroll and enjoy the good weather.”
    I didn’t like to ask whether the princess might have come upon a pearl and diamond necklace hidden about her person when she undressed that night. But I did say, “Of course, we’re still frightfully upset about the missing necklace. We can’t imagine who took it.”
    “There are clever thieves in the world,” Princess Marie said, while the dour Russian lady nodded in agreement. “Princess Theodora here had her jewels taken from her compartment on a train, when she fled from Russia. The brazen thief climbed in through the open window, removed the jewel case as she slept, then climbed out again.”
    Princess Theodora