MISSING IN NEW YORK
Page 7. After the grand banquet at the Waldorf Astoria for HM the Queen last Monday, it was discovered that one of the guests had vanished. Attractive socialite Lady Lucie Seymour, 40, wife of the UK’s Minister for Technology, has mysteriously disappeared. The NYPD has been alerted and so far there is no sign of her. Pressed for comment, Lord Seymour said his wife must have suffered a sudden health crisis, and has made an impassioned plea for her return. The minister was briefly a suspect in the Chelsea murders, as the owner of the diamond tiara found on one of the victims. The Metropolitan Police say their inquiries are still ongoing.
‘How long had you known for?’ Joan asked.
The Queen was back at her desk, beside the bow window in her Buckingham Palace study, surrounded by paperwork.
‘Oh, minutes before she appeared in my suite. For ages I thought Tony Radnor-Milne must be connected, and I still think he knew Rodriguez through the casinos and the agency, but I realised he wasn’t connected with who Rodriguez really was. Whereas Ginette . . . I quite accept I hadn’t thought it through properly. I’d just realised that Lucie had access to the diamonds and she might possibly know how to garrotte a man at short notice. But I thought she must have done it to try and save her sister. It was suddenly clear to me that they were sisters. I was sure Lucie hadn’t done it to save herself.’
Joan raised an eyebrow and the Queen sighed.
‘I got caught up in the moment,’ she admitted. ‘I just needed to know that I was right.’
‘Did Lady Seymour regret it?’ Joan asked. ‘It must have been terrible, that night . . .’
‘Oh, it was,’ the Queen agreed. ‘Lying beside her sister’s body. But she didn’t seem to regret what she’d done for a moment. Only that she was too late. I don’t think she realised quite how lucky she was that she wasn’t caught at the time.’
Joan didn’t point out that she was equally lucky not to be caught afterwards, in New York. She only knew that if
The Queen swiftly changed the subject. ‘Do you see much of Major Ross?’ she asked. ‘You’re back in Dolphin Square, I understand.’
Joan tried to keep her face neutral. She could, if she wanted, tell Her Majesty that Hector Ross no longer stayed at his club; that he was teaching her about whisky; that he was very fond of her kimono, and when he was tired, he liked to run his fingers along the silk. But these topics didn’t seem appropriate for the royal study. Instead she said, ‘Not much, ma’am. He spends every evening out now, being feted for uncovering the kidnapping plot.’ This much was true.
Fortunately, the Queen focused on what
‘I didn’t think many people knew about it.’
‘Oh, enough do in his circles, ma’am. I hear rumours that you’re going to give him a medal. Are you?’
The Queen gave a little shrug. ‘It’s not entirely up to me. But I think he deserves one, don’t you? He didn’t have a huge amount to work with, but he put it together very fast.’
‘He did,’ Joan agreed. ‘With help.’
‘Does he have any idea where that help came from?’ the Queen asked anxiously.
Joan knew Her Majesty liked remaining in the background. She didn’t want the DG of MI5 worrying that she was trying to do his job for him.
‘He does, actually,’ Joan said with a smile.
‘Oh?’ The Queen looked alarmed.
