On the last day of 1926 Mary of Strasbourg
Was standing on the balcony of the Royal Hotel in Nice
The hotel which had been built in 1888 had retained its English name
As had many other locations in the city
May was wearing an evening dress which to many seemed slender and slight
And not suited to the glamorous occasion within
Others thought her slightly mad as the wind from the sea was winter cool
Mary was watching a Bugatti as it disappeared behind the night palms
In her hand she was holding a fragile silk handkerchief
She was waving to her lover who was driving back to his home
The handkerchief had been a gift from a cherished lover
And she kept it in her splendid bag to retain its soft beauty
Mary was about to release her wave when her handkerchief broke free
It floated away on the spice scented breeze into the darkness of the night
She assumed that it had landed on the thin rose bushes below
And next day asked the hotel to retrieve it for her but it was never found
And to this day this remains one of the many unsolved mysteries of the Royal Hotel