ABOUT
THE BOOK

It’s Midsummer’s Day, and BRIT (the museum of British History) is about to stage a splendid exhibition, ELEGANCE, under the aegis of its brilliant new Director, Auberon Booth. Centrepiece of the show will be a fine but little-known Gainsborough: his intriguing portrait of Lady St. John as Puck. And a gala dinner – Lobster House of Stuart, Beef Plantagenet and Berries Tudor Rose – will celebrate tomorrow’s opening. But as the day passes, tension mounts: will the temperamental chef keep his poise? Has the right mix of guests been invited? And just what is it that’s so peculiar about the portrait?