Episode 1: The Horsey Set

Summary

Royal Swindle, Episode 1: The Horsey Set
Host: Becky Milligan | Release Date: July 23, 2026
A Blanchard House production for USG Audio, in partnership with Exactly Right Media

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Episode Overview

In this true-crime-meets-comedy (“rom-con”) debut, Becky Milligan introduces listeners to the remarkable story of Lila Andre and Evelyn Burton: two charismatic Australian women who swept into the heart of Britain’s aristocratic “horsey set” in the late 1990s, dazzling society and even cozied up to Queen Elizabeth II. But behind their lavish high-society act lies a tangled web of deception, a checkered past in the sex trade, and a cunning con that targets some of England’s most privileged circles. The episode skillfully blends first-hand recollections, colorful commentary, and Lila’s own unapologetic voice as the con is unraveled.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The High Society Infiltration (00:01 - 05:00)

• Opening Scene: Becky Milligan sets the stage at the 1997 Royal Windsor Horse Show, where two flamboyant Australian women, Lila and Evelyn, are seen gossiping with Queen Elizabeth II herself. Unknown to all, they are “a pair of crooks. They’re cunning, they’re smart and they’re up to no good.” ([00:46])
• The Horsey Set: Author Sophia Money Coutts explains the insular, tradition-bound world of Britain’s horse-obsessed elite, noting, “A lot of British people are really obsessed with horses. They live, eat, breathe horses, breeding, riding, showing and racing horses.” ([04:20])
• Financial Context: Many in this circle are “asset rich, cash poor,” making them primed for outsiders with apparent wealth.

2. The Arrival of Outsiders (05:00 - 12:00)

• First Impressions: Vivid descriptions from Lucille Clark Smith and Frances Hutchinson present Evelyn and Lila as sartorial opposites—Evelyn large and unfeminine, Lila with “masses of red hair and fingernails…each painted a different color” ([07:14]).
  • “She almost looked like a pantomime dame.” – Lucille Clark Smith ([07:29])
• Personal Life: Lila reminisces about her electrifying first meeting with Evelyn, calling it “love at first sight….She was the woman that I wanted and I’d wanted for a long, long time.” ([08:10], [08:38])
• Social Sway: Their flamboyance and apparent fortune soon captivate the Ramsays, an esteemed local couple.

3. The Allure of Wealth and the Con’s Mechanics (09:00 - 15:00)

• Evelyn’s Financial Mystique: She boasts contacts in America, talking “in millions of dollars and millions of pounds” ([09:54]).
  • Memorable Detail: Evelyn pronounced “millions” as “meons.” ([10:14])
• High Rollers: Lavish spending—first-class travel, top-notch wines—establishes credibility.
  • “They may not have the bloodline, but they definitely have the credit line.” – Becky Milligan ([10:43])
• Ambitious Plans: They declare intentions to buy a grand estate and start a stud farm. Notably, their requests for household staff are highly specific, with Lila insisting, “They’ve got to be gay guys. They’re usually clean. You can talk to them...” ([14:43])

4. Behind the Façade: Lila and Evelyn’s Origins (17:00 - 22:00)

• Sex Work Roots: Lila candidly describes both women’s years as sex workers and brothel operators in Australia.
  • “The best clients in the world are tradies and truck drivers.” – Lila Andre ([18:08])
  • “You never ever go with anyone with a tie and a collar. Cause they’re usually bastards.” ([18:46])
• Evelyn’s Toughness: Evelyn ran 16 brothels with “zero tolerance” for abusers—“she would arrange for someone to go and, you know, break a leg, which arm, which leg, that sort of thing.” ([19:14])
• Unapologetic Love: The chemistry between the two is retold with Lila’s flair for dramatic metaphor: “I just waited and waited…like a spider collecting something in its web.” ([20:02])

5. The New Life in England (22:00 - 29:00)

• On the Run: Evelyn and Lila fled Australian authorities and “reinvented” themselves as wealthy debutantes in the English countryside. “Yes, they’re on the run. For Lila and Evelyn, it’s a blank slate. A new page.” ([21:54])
• Country Estate Shopping: Their demands grow—“18 bedrooms, lounge, sitting room, butler’s pantry, seven stoves, you name it.” ([13:54], [13:39])
• Charming, Yet Suspicious: They dazzle everyone but lack horse knowledge (“It was quite clear. They knew nothing about horses.” – Lucille Clark Smith [25:49]). Still, they buy an expensive filly—sort of, as no money changes hands yet.
• Ensnaring the Locals: Evelyn offers dream jobs to the Ramsays, then floats, “...if you give [me the proceeds of your house sale], I will turn it into mega money.” ([29:19])

6. The Big Reveal and Psychological Playbook (29:00 - end)

• No Substance: Despite impressive performances, “all of it, and I mean all of it, is an illusion” ([29:35])—no estate, no staff, no stud farm, and especially no real prime bank guarantees.
• The Real Question: Why did everyone buy it? Lila is blunt: “Evelyn used to work on greed.” ([31:07])
• Foreshadowing: Having won the horsey set, Evelyn now aims even higher—for the “royal set.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They're flamboyant and larger than life…Hello, everybody.” – Lila Andre ([07:41])
• “The thing is, the path Evelyn and Lila go down in order to live the good life means that they're always just one step away from losing it all. Because none of it is really theirs.” – Becky Milligan ([21:12])
• “She was a little thief. She was. She was a little thief. Naughty little thief. A bad elf, you know, the really bad elf.” – Lila Andre ([21:33])
• “She would keep a stash of 50 pound notes down her bra.” – Frances Hutchinson ([16:20])
• “I can turn any money you hand over to me, I can make it double, treble what it is.” – Richard Ramsey, quoting Evelyn ([10:32])
• “It's very wonderful to be offered something that you would really, really like to do and could never afford to do it on your own.” – Marjorie Ramsey ([27:37])
• On the con: “Lila thinks it's very simple. 'Evelyn used to work on greed.'” ([31:07])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Royal Windsor Horse Show Opening: [00:01]
• Introduction of Lila & Evelyn’s Outlandish Personas: [07:00-08:00]
• Lila on Falling for Evelyn: [08:10-09:00]
• Evelyn’s Financial Prowess Explained: [09:54-10:43]
• Plans for Estate and Stud Farm: [11:28-13:54]
• Hiring Extraordinary Staff: [15:07-16:09]
• Revelation of Sex Work Background: [17:55-19:24]
• Flight from Australia: [21:54]
• Choosing an Estate; Horse Buying: [23:35-25:55]
• Ensnaring the Ramsays in Investment Scheme: [26:46-29:35]
• Revelation of the Illusion: [29:35-31:10]
• Psychological Insight: Using Greed: [31:07]

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Tone & Language

The episode’s tone is wry, vivid, and candid—equal parts true-crime intrigue, dark comedy, and affectionate social commentary. Lila’s unapologetic, colorful storytelling and Becky Milligan’s sharp, knowing narration offer an immersive, almost cinematic experience.

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Summary

“The Horsey Set” is a riveting, darkly comic introduction to a modern aristocratic con. Listeners are swept through the lavish heart of rural England—and the shadier corners of 1970s-80s Australia—witnessing how charisma, greed, and social aspiration can prove irresistible, even (or especially) among the elite. The episode ends on a tantalizing note: with the horsey set hoodwinked, Lila and Evelyn set their sights even higher—the royal set awaits.

Transcript

[Becky Milligan]

This is exactly right. A quick warning. This story contains adult themes and strong language. 1997, England. The Royal Windsor Horse Show. An absolute must for the cream of British high society. But this is no ordinary year. In fact, it'll be remembered for a very long time. There's show jumping, carriage driving, dressage. And at this prestigious event, nowhere is more prestigious than the Royal Enclosure. And this year, guess who's been spotted chatting to the Queen, talking and laughing with Queen Elizabeth ii. Second, two Australian women. Now, these Aussies are very charismatic and here they are gossiping away to Her Majesty about the huge country house they're about to buy. So it's all very jolly. But there's something the Queen doesn't know about this pair. Something none of the royal entourage knows. Something no one in the whole of England knows. This Aussie couple are a pair of crooks. They're cunning, they're smart and they're up to no good. They want what these people have. Money. And they'll do anything to get it. If the blue bloods and the landed gentry and this whole champagne quaffing crowd had any idea what's really going on, they'd run like wild horses. Now, nearly 30 years later, one of those crooks is ready to talk.

[Lila Andre]

I've regretted a lot of things. I've done a lot of things. I sold my soul to the devil. Look, I would say I'm very sorry, but whether I mean it or not, I don't know.

[Becky Milligan]

From usg audio, blanchard house and exactly right media, this is royal swindle. I'm becky milligan. Episode 1 the horsey set. September 1996. England's green and pleasant countryside, where the upper crust live in ancient country houses set in lush pastures, passed down from generation to generation. Here, the aristocracy entertain friends on a grand scale and enjoy their country pursuits. And there's one pastime they prize above all others. Horses. Sophia Money Coutts is an author and journalist. A lot of British people are really obsessed with horses. They live, eat, breathe horses, breeding, riding, showing and racing horses. And the people who move in these circles have a name. The Horsey Set. These people really can't live without their horses. And there's a sense of permanence to it all year in, year out, same people, same shows. Bloodlines that can be traced back centuries. Continuity, a reassuring rhythm, a natural order. And the cost of maintaining this natural order is phenomenal. We were talking into the millions. But there's one thing you need to know about this world of old money. There's not always that much actual money knocking around. It's not all like Downton Abbey. There is that expression asset rich, cash poor, which applies to a lot of posh people in this country. The money's tied up in all those crumbling old stately homes which cost a fortune to run. So when someone new turns up, someone who's really wealthy, people can get quite excited, even if that someone doesn't quite fit in. And that's what happens in autumn 1996, when two charismatic outsiders blow in with plenty of spare cash. Two Australian millionaires, Lila Andre and Evelyn Burton, have arrived in the uk. Now, if the horsey set aren't in their jodhpas and riding boots, caked in mud in the saddle, they dress a bit like the late queen. Rather conservative. Pearls, headscarves, tweed skirts and padded gilets. They're body warmers. And let's just say Evelyn and Lila looked rather different. And they both had rather contrasting styles.

[Lucille Clark Smith]

Well, Evelyn Burton was a very large lady, not very feminine, dressed in a pair of very baggy jeans and a bomber jacket and some boots, I think, and this short haircut. And Layla was the complete opposite.

[Frances Hutchinson]

Red hair, Lila. Masses and masses and masses of red hair and fingernails. Everyone painted a different color.

[Becky Milligan]

The clothes were so very, very colorful.

[Lila Andre]

She wore these flamboyant hats and the

[Becky Milligan]

makeup and everything else like that.

[Lucille Clark Smith]

And it was the lipstick. She almost looked like a pantomime dame.

[Marjorie Ramsey]

She's a bit odd looking.

[Becky Milligan]

They're flamboyant and larger than life.

[Lila Andre]

Hello, everybody.

[Becky Milligan]

That's Lila Andre.

[Lila Andre]

Of course it flowed. Oh, the champagne flowed. Absolutely flowed. You know, I just would spoil myself.

[Becky Milligan]

And the thing about these millionaires, Lila and Evelyn, they're not just business partners, they're much more than that. Lila remembers the first time they met 20 years earlier

[Lila Andre]

in walks. Evelyn, love at first sight. I saw this woman and that was it. She had this aura around her and I just could not believe what I was. And I'm saying to myself, this is the woman that I want to live with. This is the woman that I want.

[Becky Milligan]

The attraction was intoxicating.

[Lila Andre]

She was just beautiful. Everything about her was just beautiful. Her voice, the way she talked, her face, her eyes, her look. She was stunning. She was the woman that I wanted and I'd wanted for a long, long time.

[Becky Milligan]

Lila is bowled over by Evelyn and now the horsey set of rural England is about to be bowled over by Evelyn and Lila. The appeal is, well, there's only one

[Marjorie Ramsey]

way to describe was intoxicating stuff.

[Becky Milligan]

That's Marjorie Ramsey. If Any couple embodies the horsey set. It's got to be the Ramses. Marjorie and Richard know everyone and everyone knows them. Now our Australian millionaire Evelyn is some kind of financial wizard and has turned thousands into millions seemingly overnight. Evelyn's got investors all over the place. Ireland, Sweden and now the rural shires of England.

[Marjorie Ramsey]

She had this man that she was always on the phone to in America and she talked in millions of dollars and millions of pounds.

[Becky Milligan]

Marjorie has never met anyone like Evelyn before. Even the way Evelyn says the word millions feels exotic.

[Marjorie Ramsey]

Meons. She didn't pronounce the L's.

[Becky Milligan]

That's weird.

[Marjorie Ramsey]

Yes, but she was Australian.

[Becky Milligan]

Lila and Evelyn have just entered Marjorie and Richard's world. Or should that be the other way round? Anyway, their lives are going to change forever.

[Richard Ramsey]

You know all this business of I can turn any money into you hand over to me, I can make it double treble what it is.

[Becky Milligan]

And the thing about Evelyn and Lila is that they don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk too. They may not have the bloodline, but they definitely have the credit line. It's only the very best of everything. First class travel, chauffeur driven Rolls Royces, top notch restaurants and the very finest wines.

[Lila Andre]

Chateau Lafitte, Chateau Le Tour. I mean, Evelyn had all this money.

[Becky Milligan]

So Lila and Evelyn have made quite the entrance. But these two Aussies aren't just here on their summer vacation. They're here to stay. And they have a plan. An ambitious plan. Part 1.

[Lila Andre]

Buy property.

[Becky Milligan]

Not an ordinary property.

[Lila Andre]

Oh no.

[Becky Milligan]

More like a country estate or a stately home in the rolling English countryside. And the place will need to be big because of part two of their big plan. Evelyn and Lila want to start a stud farm. They want to breed horses. A big house takes a while to find. And then of course, it takes a while for the sale to go through. So in the meantime, they've taken up residence in one of London's finest hotels, the Barclay in the heart of Belgravia. And they've not just booked any old room here. A whole suite of rooms then?

[Lila Andre]

Absolutely, yes. Evelyn wanted everything.

[Becky Milligan]

They pay up front in cash. And it's perfect.

[Lila Andre]

The boys there loved her. And whenever anyone delivered anything to the room, they were given a five pound note. Whenever she went out in the car, she'd flick a £1 coin. It was to one of the boys. The staff loved her, did they?

[Becky Milligan]

Yes. The thing about London's posh hotels is that they might be in the hustle and bustle of the big City, but they're like an extension of the English countryside. Everyone knows everyone, especially if there's money to be made. I said to the doorman at the Barkley, if you have anybody who appears who might want to buy property and country, give us a shout up market. Real estate agent Jonathan Harrington gets the tip off from the doorman. That's how it started. He's round at the Barkley before you can blink, meeting the two women in their suite. He isn't disappointed. They don't make any secret of just how loaded they are.

[Lila Andre]

It was sort of Billy.

[Becky Milligan]

Big talk, he means. They're boasting. We have racehorse, we have private jets, we have cars. And we need a wonderful country house. A property with all the trimmings. 20, 30 acres, cottage, stables, garaging.

[Lila Andre]

18 bedrooms, lounge, sitting room, butler's pantry, seven stoves, you name it.

[Becky Milligan]

A tree lined drive, large gardens, the list goes on.

[Lila Andre]

A lovely country home in the British countryside where I might know one or two of the neighbours. But not very well. But if I needed a cup of sugar, I could ask them.

[Becky Milligan]

So the real estate agent Jonathan is looking for Evelyn and Lila's dream home. But every big country house needs a household staff. They're pretty specific about their requirements. And when it comes to male staff, there's one non negotiable.

[Lila Andre]

They've got to be gay guys. They're usually clean. You can talk to them. I'd had a lot to do with them and they were what I wanted.

[Becky Milligan]

Lila and Evelyn need someone who recruits high end staff for high end clients. Enter Frances Hutchinson. She's worked for a whole host of

[Frances Hutchinson]

VIPs from pop star to footballer to king or queen. They're very wealthy and they're people who can pay for the best. And so you introduce them to the best.

[Becky Milligan]

Perfect. Just what our two millionaires require. Lila organizes a meeting, but she and Evelyn aren't quite what Frances is expecting.

[Frances Hutchinson]

Certainly not the normal kind of client that I've dealt with.

[Becky Milligan]

But that isn't a problem. Frances has been brought up not to judge a book by its cover. And what our couple lack, say in class, they make up for with their enormous bank balance.

[Frances Hutchinson]

So when these ladies came along, they wanted everything.

[Lila Andre]

Nice car with a driver, estate manager,

[Frances Hutchinson]

the head gardener and junior gardeners, housekeeping staff.

[Lila Andre]

There was the butler, there was the under butler, there was a tweenie.

[Becky Milligan]

It's a little personal maid.

[Lila Andre]

No, a tweenie. Oh, Tweenie's a little person who works between everybody else. Everyone else cleans and she follows Them and just tidies up what they haven't.

[Becky Milligan]

And Evelyn clearly has the cash to pay for it all.

[Frances Hutchinson]

She would keep a stash of 50 pound notes down her bra.

[Becky Milligan]

Down her what?

[Frances Hutchinson]

Her bra. She would put her hand down her shirt and pull out a 50 pound note. And there was somebody sleeping rough outside Harrods. And she had the driver pull over and she got out of the car and just pulled this 50 pound note out.

[Becky Milligan]

That's about $150 today. So Evelyn likes to look after people and likes to look after one person above all.

[Frances Hutchinson]

She really took care of Lila. And she actually said to me one day, everybody's job is to take care of Lila. I want Lila to be happy.

[Becky Milligan]

And that means a lot of beauty

[Frances Hutchinson]

appointments and probably quite a lot of hair appointments to keep that color, I would imagine.

[Becky Milligan]

Frances opens her contacts book, picks up the phone and starts recruiting the butlers, the gardeners and the tweenies. Fifteen staff in total. And she's thrilled to be helping this Aussie couple make England their home. She takes them as she finds them, honest, eccentric, but extremely charming millionaires. But there's rather more to them than that because Evelyn and Lila have a history, quite a history. Back in Australia in the 1970s. Well, I'll let Lila tell you.

[Lila Andre]

Well, I was working. I was a working girl.

[Becky Milligan]

Yes, she was a sex worker. In fact, both Evelyn and Lila were sex workers for many, many years.

[Lila Andre]

The best clients in the world are tradies and truck drivers. They really are.

[Becky Milligan]

Why?

[Lila Andre]

Because they're polite, they're courteous, they're kind, they're friendly. They usually come in dirty, but go out clean because they wash and they're talkative.

[Becky Milligan]

And Lila knew all the tricks of the trade.

[Lila Andre]

So the longer you spend on the massage, the less you spent on the screwing.

[Becky Milligan]

Right.

[Lila Andre]

And you only gave them three pumps. Anyway, covers only last three minutes.

[Becky Milligan]

Lila had one rule that she lived by, swore by.

[Lila Andre]

You never ever go with anyone with a tie and a collar. Cause they're usually bastards.

[Becky Milligan]

Actually, Evelyn and Lila met through the sex trade in the 1980s. By then, Lila was running a brothel and Evelyn was running a whole chain of brothels. Eventually 16 of them. And let's just say Evelyn's approach to abuse was zero tolerance.

[Lila Andre]

If someone had some trouble, she would arrange for someone to go and, you know, break a leg, which arm, which leg, that sort of thing.

[Becky Milligan]

Now, as we've heard, when Lila first crossed paths with Evelyn, the attraction was instant.

[Lila Andre]

She was wearing a mullet and it suited her beautifully. Really dark hair. And the curls in it were just brilliant. I just couldn't take my eyes off her.

[Becky Milligan]

But Evelyn, on the other hand, took far longer to come round.

[Lila Andre]

She just didn't have a clue. Did not have a clue. I'm thinking, why doesn't you bloody wake up? What is the matter with her?

[Becky Milligan]

But Lila was patient and persistent.

[Lila Andre]

I just waited and waited and waited until I got my shot, like a spider collecting something in its web.

[Becky Milligan]

And when Lila finally snared her prey, it was passionate, intense.

[Lila Andre]

I was walking through the door and she was walking through the door as well. And she slammed the door shut and grabbed me and kissed me and she said, and that's when I fell in love with you.

[Becky Milligan]

It's as if Evelyn and Lila were made for each other. They have so much in common. They both had tough childhoods and cash was always tight. Now they've found each other, Evelyn vows that money will never be a problem ever again. That poverty is well and truly behind them. And what lies ahead is a life of luxury and comfort. A life well lived.

[Lila Andre]

She promised and promised and promised me the world.

[Becky Milligan]

The only thing is, the path Evelyn and Lila go down in order to live the good life means that they're always just one step away from losing it all. Because none of it is really theirs. As Lila says of Evelyn, quite simply, she was terrible.

[Lila Andre]

Oh, she was a little thief. She was. She was a little thief. Naughty little thief. A bad elf, you know, the really bad elf.

[Becky Milligan]

And Evelyn was a bad elf with a bad habit. A very bad habit.

[Lila Andre]

I always said that to Evelyn from the very first day I met her. You talk too much.

[Becky Milligan]

It's Evelyn's Achilles heel. And it makes their already perilous position even more perilous. Our duo know their good life can be snatched away at any moment. And that's exactly what happens in 1996. Lila and Evelyn are living in Melbourne and have all the luxury and comfort they ever wished for. But suddenly they start to feel the heat on multiple fronts and they need to escape fast. And that's how they end up in the uk. Yes, they're on the run. For Lila and Evelyn, it's a blank slate. A new page. A chance to have another shot at the good life at other people's expenses. All of this, of course, is lost on the horsey set. They're blissfully unaware. No, to them, Evelyn and Lila are just a slightly eccentric Aussie couple who want to buy a big house, fill it with staff and start a stud farm. In other words, breed horses for show. Jumping. As it happens, the couple are driven all around rural England for viewings of vast country estates.

[Lila Andre]

The only one that stood out was one in Newmarket, a town a couple

[Becky Milligan]

of hours away from London and the home of horse racing.

[Lila Andre]

It was gorgeous. There was a pool and there was absolutely everything you'd want.

[Becky Milligan]

Now, this wasn't just one property. It was virtually a small village.

[Lila Andre]

It was very pretty. It had about six or eight other little cottages and they all had names of flowers, which was lovely.

[Becky Milligan]

So they've chosen the house. Now they need to find horses for their stud, and it's only the very best breed for Evelyn, the revered Arabian H. That's when they hear about Lucille and Larry, who apparently have just what Evelyn and Lila are after, A young Arab filly for sale.

[Lucille Clark Smith]

I thought they were going to be really horsey people, but they weren't anything like I expected.

[Becky Milligan]

Lucille Clark Smith and her husband Larry invite the Aussies over.

[Lucille Clark Smith]

Layla coming down with a pair of stiletto heels on and dressed like very flamboyantly with all this color with loads of makeup on. And she wore these outrageous hats. I mean, they were quite pleasant. I mean, Layla was a real lady,

[Becky Milligan]

but the other one looked like the stable lad. Lucille and Larry show them their filly and Evelyn falls in love. The horse is magnificent and perfect for her new stud. A deal is done. £15,000. That's about US$45,000 today. Now, no money actually changes hands on the day the funds are on their way, though. Evelyn says. Now, Lucille and Larry are completely charmed by Evelyn and Lila, but things don't quite add up. These Aussie millionaires who've just blown in to set up a stud farm knew nothing about horses.

[Lucille Clark Smith]

That was quite clear. They knew nothing about horses.

[Becky Milligan]

So if Lila and Evelyn are going to make a go of their stud farm, they'd better find someone who knows about horses and show jumping fast. Well, remember Richard and Marjorie, who were intrigued by the way Evelyn said the

[Marjorie Ramsey]

word millions meons she didn't pronounce the L's.

[Becky Milligan]

Well, they know a lot about show jumping. In fact, they're two of the most respected people in the show jumping world. And they're very good friends with Frances Hutchinson, who's busy finding staff for Lila and Evelyn's massive new house. Before long, Richard and Marjorie are invited to a business meeting at a very smart hotel in London.

[Richard Ramsey]

There was this not very tall, but very wide lady in a gray pinstripe suit with slightly curly gray hair.

[Becky Milligan]

Lila's memory of Richard, on the other hand, is a little more Hazy, I don't remember him.

[Lila Andre]

Wouldn't remember him from a toothpick. Haven't got a clue.

[Becky Milligan]

Coffee and biscuits are served and Evelyn gets straight down to business.

[Richard Ramsey]

She said, I want to buy this huge property and start up a show jumping stud and I really want to go into this big time.

[Becky Milligan]

Richard is impressed. Evelyn then offers Margery the job of a lifetime stud manager on Evelyn's new estate.

[Marjorie Ramsey]

It's very wonderful to be offered something that you would really, really like to do and could never afford to do it on your own. She was offering me exactly what what I would like.

[Becky Milligan]

In fact, this is Marjorie's dream job. Evelyn doesn't stop there. She tells Richard, if Margery's going to

[Richard Ramsey]

be the stud manager, we need her on the premises.

[Becky Milligan]

Richard frowns, but Evelyn nods and throws him one of her charming smiles. It's okay because there are cottages on

[Richard Ramsey]

the estate and you will have a lovely house, da de da of your own.

[Becky Milligan]

Richard and Marjorie are impressed by Evelyn and Lila's generosity. And their generosity doesn't end there. Evelyn starts to tell them about her lucrative investments.

[Lila Andre]

She would talk about bonds and banking and overnight money markets.

[Becky Milligan]

To be honest, I. Lila says she's a bit bamboozled by it all. Evelyn looks after all this stuff, apparently, but basically it involves complicated financial instruments called prime bank guarantees and bonds. It's all managed by her American investment company. And judging by their lifestyle, it's been hugely successful. And Evelyn has a bright idea. If Richard and Marjorie are coming to live in one of her cottages, well, they won't need their own house anymore, will they?

[Richard Ramsey]

Now the thing you need to do is to sell your house. And obviously if you sell your house, that money, if you give it to me, I will turn it into mega money,

[Becky Milligan]

megamoney. So things are really coming together. Their gorgeous house with those lovely little cottages, the household staff, a manager for their stud farm, and their first beautiful Arab horse. Evelyn and Lila have truly joined the horsey set. Except, well, you may have worked this out by now, but all of it, and I mean all of it, is an illusion. Evelyn and Lila will never buy their English stately home. There won't be a stud farm. There won't be lovely little cottages for the staff, and there won't be any dream jobs. And those prime bank guarantees, the ones Evelyn is persuading Richard and Marjorie to pour their life savings into the proceeds of their house sale, those prime bank guarantees aren't worth the paper they're printed on. But the real question is this. Why on earth does everyone take these two Aussies totally out of place in the shires of England so very seriously and continue to take them seriously. Well, Lila thinks it's very simple.

[Lila Andre]

Evelyn used to work on greed.

[Becky Milligan]

She understood human nature. But this is just the beginning. In her bid to give Lyda the life she's always dreamed of, Evelyn is aiming high. Very high. She's wormed her way into the horsey set. Now she's got her sight set on the royal set. You've been listening to Royal Swindle at Blanchard House. Production for USG Audio in partnership with Exactly Right Media. Hosted by me, Becky Milligan. It's written and produced by me, Becky Milligan and Seren Jones. Original music is by Daniel Lloyd Evans, Louis Nankmanel and Toby Matimal. Sound design and mix engineering is by Volkan Kizletug, Toby Matimal and Daniel Lloyd Evans. Story development by Duncan Barber. The managing producer is Amica Shortino Nolan. Production support from Josh Lalonghi at USG Audio. The creative director at Blanchard House is Rosie Pye. The executive producer and head of content at Blanchard House is Lawrence Grizzell. Our executive producer from USG Audio is Josh Block. It.