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