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“Her husband,” she finally said, “is not affectionate.”
Well, that was certainly an interesting tidbit of information, but Trevor failed to see how it
applied to the matter at hand.
“You mean he doesn’t value her?” Rayley ventured. For if Serge saw Ella as a mere trophy or
as some sort of necessary diplomatic compromise, this could be good news. Victoria’s granddaughter
might be more willing to flee her marriage than she appeared on the surface.
“As I have written to the Queen, he is rumored to be a man of curious tastes,” Mrs. Kirby went
on, actually blushing, which caused Rayley and Trevor to exchange yet another pointed look. Good
God, they both seemed to be thinking, are we back in Paris again?
“And you believe that the Queen understood what you meant by that phrase?” Rayley asked.
Victoria may well have thought that the term “curious tastes” referred to the man’s butterfly collection
or a passion for harpsichord music.
“I cannot say.”
“So the marriage is possibly in danger,” Trevor said slowly. “Which could be pertinent in the
long run. But what I am asking you now is if you have any reason, any reason at all, to believe that
Ella’s life may likewise be in danger.”
“Of course not,” Mrs. Kirby said staunchly, once again rising to her feet, this time to indicate
that their extraordinary briefing session was finally at its end. “The Russians will always be an
eternal mystery to the British mind - prone to violence and hostage to the sort of emotions which
leave us mercifully untouched. But they would never harm an Englishwoman, and certainly not the
Queen’s granddaughter. Even they would stop short of that.”