Madam, Will You Talk? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Teachers in a private school

Prior to her marriage to Johnny Selborne, Charity had been the French Mistress at the Alice Drupe Private School for Girls. Louise was still there as Art Mistress.

The book is set not long after the end of WWll and is a slice of life of the time.

Answer: Mongrel dog

Rommel the dog chased a scrawny ginger cat up onto the balcony of Charity's room. A boy, who introduced himself as David Shelly, had found the dog and usually had him tied up on a length of string.

Answer: From her husband Johnny, who had driven racecars

Johnny Selborne had taught his wife all about cars. The knowledge came in handy as she drove along French roads and when she disabled a car to stop the driver from following her. There are several well written car chases in the book. Johnny had died in a plane crash during the war.

Queen Elizabeth ll was a mechanic and driver for the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service during WWll.

Answer: Byron

Tony Baxter was found strangled by a blind cord while staying on an extended Christmas holiday with the Byron family. David had been hit over the head and found unconscious on the bathroom floor next door. Richard, David's father, had been arrested for the murder but acquitted at the trial.

Charity had taken a liking to David. He was a clever boy, but seemed to carry the weight of the world upon his shoulders. He was polite to strangers, but deliberately rude to his step-mother.

Answer: He really loved his son

At first, Charity was frightened by Richard and she knew that his son had been frightened at the sound of his voice. When she had been chased by him, then spoken with him before escaping, she spent an hour at Chateau d'If thinking things through. Charity came to realise that the man she had started to learn about was a loving father, kind, considerate and a gentleman. The next time they met, she saw the love in his eyes and that was it!

David explained later, the reason he had been frightened by the sound of his father's voice was that he thought his step-mother had someone following him in case his father found him. He did not want to be the cause of his father being attacked by them.

Answer: He spoke flawless French

Marsden had followed the step-mother so was seen by Charity just after she had overheard a conversation in French. When she saw him the following day on the bus to Nimes this added weight to her conviction. Finding his discarded book outside the antiques shop where she knew David and Richard were being held was final proof for her.

In fact, John Marsden had been part of the investigation into the murder of Tony Baxter in England. The inspector in charge had several suspicions which could not be investigated and John Marsden offered to follow them up during his holiday, which he spent in France. This was despite his lack of French.

Answer: Ma belle

Paul Véry was filling his car with petrol in the garage where Charity was trying to hire a car. At first he was joking with her about the boy, but when he realised that she was upset, he offered his help. His continued insistence at calling her "Ma belle", which made her squirm in discomfort, made her wonder if he was all that he presented himself to be. Then his instant dismissal of Marsden as a main player made her wonder. She realised her mistake when she saw the inscription on his cigarette case.

Paul Véry thought that he was irresistible to women. Charity was able to use this flaw in his judgement against him and to steal his car in her getaway attempt.

Answer: Marsden shot the tires on her car

Rommel the dog had broken free and found Charity outside the antique shop. He went with her in the car with Paul Véry.

Charity had heard the instructions for the route to take while hiding outside the antique shop. Marsden had been there just before her and climbed into the van outside. He was trapped, but it meant that he got to the final scene ahead of most of the bad guys. He did not know that Charity was driving the car, but had heard Paul Véry shouting in French to his accomplice.

Answer: Asleep in a ditch

David had been chloroformed while in the antique shop. His father had put him in the ditch, under his coat, to keep him out of the danger area. He sent Charity to join him and when she eventually did as she was told, she found that Rommel had got there first.

Charity had heard the rest of the villain's plan and knew that at least one more car was due at the scene.

Answer: Le Jeune David

"Le Jeune David" by Emmanuel Bernstein was on an easel in a shop window. Charity spotted it as she and Richard were strolling arm in arm discussing their future together. It brought all of the loose ends of the story together.

Richard Byron and Tony Baxter had accidentally witnessed the death of Emmanuel Bernstein at the hands of a German officer. The officer, using a different name, was in the antiques business, as were the two Englishmen. The German had blackmailed Paul Véry and his wife into killing the two witnesses after he recognised them at an auction in Paris. The woman that David believed to be his step-mother was actually Véry's wife.

Charity's friend Louise, had refused to go on a trip to see the Pont du Gard, saying that she had already seen the Holborn Viaduct! This was to cover up her extreme laziness.