When Helen and Kim had finished looking round the exhibition we went downstairs to the Cafe Bagatelle which was in the old museum courtyard, now roofed over with glass. This must be the most rarefied cafe in London. In a design by Rick Mather, Victorian and contemporary sculptures have been scattered around the wide court, mixed with balustrades, fountains and potted palms. The muted colour scheme contrasts with the excessively decorative and gilded gallery exhibits that can be glimpsed through the windows overlooking the court. We sat on wicker armchairs at tables covered in white cloths. The hush and reverence of the cafe contrasted with the livelier atmosphere in the museum itself (surely it should have been the other way round?).

The service was very very slow.

We ordered tea, and Helen and Kim had slices of gateau ("Let them eat cake" I thought to myself). The cult of Marie-Antoinette has never particularly interested me, although I will try to see the film Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola (released this autumn). I was left out of the specialised discussion Helen and Kim had about the exhibition, and idled my time away.

Later, on the way to the cinema, we talked about Versailles and the escapist Hameau built in the grounds where the ghost of Marie Antoinette was supposedly seen about a century ago by two women (who wrote a best selling book on the subject). Kim Blacha described the music video Nothing Compares To You by Sinead O'Connor which was filmed at Versailles and has a haunting quality (although in the video, wearing black, Sinead O'Connor resembles Nosferatu rather than Marie Antoinette).