‘And where was he when you got back?’
‘Sir?’
‘Was he still in the hall when you brought the water?’
‘No, sir, he was on the landing. Said he had been musing on how his poor cousin could’ve fallen from that very spot.’ Jones shook his head, clearly disapproving. ‘Didn’t seem proper, sir, to be going over something that happened so long ago.’
‘He was standing near the balustrade, was he? Could he have been in any of the bedchambers?’
‘He might have done, sir, but I wasn’t gone that long.’ Jones screwed up his face in an effort to remember. ‘And he was wiping his hands on his handkerchief, sir, as if they was dirty.’
‘And what did he do then?’
‘Well, he comes down and I gives him the water, which he took no more than a sip of before going off.’
‘He didn’t ask to see over the rest of the house?’
‘Now you comes to mention it, Mr Wolfgang, he did say as how he thought his horse was going lame and could he stay the night, but I told him that wouldn’t be possible, sir, not at all. I offered him the use of the old gig we keeps in the stables to take him to the Horse Shoe, if he didn’t want to walk, but he said his horse would get him that far. I didn’t see him again after that, sir. Nor anyone else, until her ladyship arrived. And now I’m not sure what I should be doing.’
Wolf squeezed his shoulder.
‘Keep your head down, Robert. This will all be over soon.’
‘And then will you be living here again, sir?’
The footman’s hopeful look caused Wolf a pang of remorse.
‘No, Robert, I won’t. But I shall make better provision for you all before I go this time, you have my word on it.’
* * *
The house was even busier than the stables, with sounds of activity echoing around the hall, where Croft, his great-aunt’s butler, was directing an army of servants. When he saw Wolf, the butler waved away his minions and bowed.
‘Her ladyship is in the drawing room, sir. She is expecting you.’ He added quietly, as he opened the door, ‘May I say that we are all delighted to see you here safe, sir.’
Wolf nodded. He had no doubt of Croft’s loyalty and he knew his formidable great-aunt would have brought no one to Arrandale who could not be trusted to keep his presence a secret.
* * *
Sophia, Dowager Marchioness of Hune, came away from the window as he entered, her bearing as upright and regal as he remembered, despite the use of a cane, but when he was close enough to press a salute upon her hand he could see how much she had aged, her face more lined and the blue of her eyes a little less intense, although the look she fixed upon him had lost none of its power to intimidate.
‘I am delighted to see you here, ma’am,’ he said politely.
‘So you should be.’ The claw-like fingers clung to him. ‘Help me to a chair. Once Croft has brought in the refreshments we can talk.’
‘You have lost no time in making yourself at home,’ he observed.
‘You could not expect me to stay in this barrack of a house without a few comforts.’
She fell silent when the butler came and served them both with a glass of wine. Wolf sipped it appreciatively.
‘Did you bring this with you, ma’am? It is superior to anything I recall from these cellars.’
‘Your father was always a nip-farthing when it came to good wine.’
‘So you brought your own. And all your servants, too, by the look of it.’
‘Not onlymyservants.’ She looked up to make sure they were alone again. ‘I had some idea what would be required to put the place in some sort of order, so I asked the family for assistance.’
