Death in a White Tie

‘Roderick,’ said Lady Alleyn, looking at her son over the top of her spectacles, ‘I am coming out.’

‘Out?’ repeated Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn vaguely. ‘Out where, mama? Out of what?’

‘Out into the world. Out of retirement. Out into the season. Out. Dear me,’ she added confusedly, ‘how absurd a word becomes if one says it repeatedly. Out.’

Alleyn laid an official-looking document on the breakfast-table and stared at his mother.

‘What can you be talking about?’ he said.

‘Don’t be stupid, darling. I am going to do the London season.’

‘Have you taken leave of your senses?’

‘I think perhaps I have. I have told George and Grace that I will bring Sarah out this coming season. Here is a letter from George and here is another from Grace. Government House, Suva. They think it charming of me to offer.’

‘Good Lord, mama,’ said Alleyn, ‘you must be demented. Do you know what this means?’

‘I believe I do. It means that I must take a flat in London. It means that I must look up all sorts of people who will turn out to be dead or divorced or remarried. It means that I must give little luncheon-parties and cocktail-parties and exchange cutlets with hard-working mothers. It means that I must sit in ballrooms praising other women’s grand-daughters and securing young men for my own. I shall be up until four o’clock five nights out of seven and I’m afraid, darling, that my black lace and my silver charmeuse will not be quite equal to the strain. So that in addition to buying clothes for Sarah I shall have to buy some for myself. And I should like to know what you think about that, Roderick?’

‘I think it is all utterly preposterous. Why the devil can’t George and Grace bring Sarah out themselves?’

‘Because they are in Fiji, darling.’

‘Well, why can’t she stay in until they return?’

‘George’s appointment is for four years. In four years your niece will be twenty-two. An elderly sort of débutante.’

‘Why has Sarah got to come out? Why can’t she simply emerge?’

‘That I cannot tell you, but George and Grace certainly could. I rather see it, I must say, Roderick. A girl has such fun doing her first season. There is nothing like it, ever again. And now we have gone back to chaperones and all the rest of it, it really does seem to have some of the old glamour.’