Diamonds in disguise
When the ex-Queen Nicoletta of Hirtenstein, Gregory's redoubtable grandmother, summons him to Rome, he is powerless to refuse. She is redecorating the villa of an Italian politician, Signor Ardicci. A Russian painting, belonging to Signor Ardicci's opera singer wife Rini, has disappeared. It appears that the value of the artwork lies in the diamond frame that Rini had made for it. Greg is initially reluctant to get involved, not least because of...