22.Meanwhile, the Duchess gasped helplessly as her two assailants flung her to the couch. A judo champ in her schooldays, she was now no match for two younger men. Or was one a woman? Strange perfume. I hope that’s not one of mine, she thought. Footsteps retreated beyond the measured ticking of the Breguet clock. She heard a soft scraping sound on the terrace and, oh no, a familiar tinkling, cut short. Brave as a lion, she lifted the blindfold, and leapt out onto the still warm stones. The tiny silver bell, engraved with the word ‘Titanic’, was gone. (… to be continued.) |
