When Shona arrived in Paris in the early eighties, she set herself up as a teacher of mandarin. Being young and inexperienced, she advertised herself on the university notice boards as Madam Li.
In time Madam Li’s would become a successful school, but in those early days, Shona lived very much hand to mouth, travelling to and fro between her students.
One Saturday, she headed out to the Norman countryside for a lesson with a new student. At the small station where she alighted, to her surprise, she was met by a chauffeur driving a Daimler.
The chateau was set back from the road and surrounded by a high wall. In the grounds there was a stable and kennel for pedigree hunting dogs, as well as an Olympic size swimming pool.
Shona was shown into a salon decorated in the fin de siècle style, but she never met her student.
At the end of the hour, the housekeeper entered the room and apologised on her mistress’s behalf. “Madame asks you to forgive her,” she said. “Regrettably, she has been detained by her luncheon guests.”
Really, however, Shona had no complaints. Her first class ticket had been paid for as had her time, and she had even been given something to eat.
This went on for several Saturdays until one day; the housekeeper entered the salon with an unusual request. “It is no cause for alarm,” she said. “Madam asks that you might put on this dress.”
“Perhaps I should explain,” went on the housekeeper. “Madam wore the dress for one of her films. It was shot in Shanghai. Madam would very much like to see it one last time on a young body. Of course, she understands if you do not wish to satisfy her curiosity.”
While Shona was given to understand that she would be well compensated for the trouble she was going to, her own curiosity was peaked. Would she finally get to meet the mistress of the house?
Shona put on the dress, which was a traditional cheongsam or Mandarin gown and went to sit, as was her habit, at the long oak table where she got out an exercise book in preparation for the lesson.
At the end of the lesson, however, she took off the dress and left the chateau, still having yet to meet her reclusive host.
That was Shona’s last lesson at the chateau.
A few months later, she received a letter from the housekeeper.
“Dear Madam Li,” she read, “I very much regret to inform you of the death of my mistress. In the last few months, she had always looked forward to her mandarin lessons. It gave her great pleasure to see you in the Mandarin gown one last time.”