Twopence Coloured derives from the price tag “penny plain, twopence coloured,” written by Robert Louis Stevenson when referring to the different printed sheets of figures and costumes for Benjamin Pollock’s Toy Theatre Shop. (Jill snippily calls her big sister “Penny-plain”, on occasion.)
Penny and her family fly to France. On the plane, Penny befriends Louise, who disappears after they arrive in Brittany. Looking for Louise, they miss the first clue when a bottle comes flying past and crashes down the cliff, but messages in bottles come from the sea, don’t drop to the sea…. will homing pigeons be more successful….and why is she being kept “in durance vile”?
Included in our introductory material will be an article by Jane and Ian on two pictures which have a connection with the plot and which Jane owns. One is Gilbert Dunlop’s frontispiece of Penny trying to get a large painting into a taxi in Paris, the other is the painting itself, which Penny bought. Jane Shaw’s backgrounds were very close to her real life and the picture she describes Penny buying, she bought herself!
(Added to website 22 July 2026)
