‘He’s never made any secret of the fact that historic houses don’t appeal to him.’

‘Reason enough to assume they do. I fancy Joe would like enormously to be Lord of the Manor. But he shan’t be. Not unless he chooses to buy it. I’ll stand out for a sale – and run the bidding up, too!’

‘Why do you hate Joe so bitterly, Stephen?’ she asked quietly.

He glanced down at her, a derisive expression in his hard eyes. ‘I hate Joe for his hypocrisy.’

‘Do you think he can help acting? It’s second nature, I believe.’

‘My God, Mathilda, can’t you see the truth? Are you fooled too?’ he asked incredulously.

‘I don’t like Joe,’ she confessed. ‘He means well, but he’s an ass.’

‘He is not an ass, and he doesn’t mean well. You think he likes me, don’t you? Well, I tell you that Joe hates me as much as I hate him!’

‘Stephen!’ she exclaimed.

He laughed. ‘Think I’m brutal to Joe, don’t you, Mathilda? When he tries to paw me about, and mouths his sickening platitudes, and drips affection all over me! You don’t see that Joe’s out to do me down. He nearly managed it, too.’

‘But he’s always trying to convince everyone that you couldn’t have killed Nat!’

‘Oh no, Mathilda! Oh no, my love! That’s only the façade. Think it over! Think of all that Joseph’s said in my defence, and ask yourself if it was helpful, or if it only served to make the police think that he was desperately trying to shield a man whom he knew to be guilty. Who do you think planted my cigarette-case in Uncle Nat’s room? Have you any doubt? I haven’t.’

Her fingers tightened on his. ‘Stephen, are you sure you’re not letting your dislike of Joe run away with you?’

‘I’m quite sure. Joe was my enemy from the moment he set foot in this house, and discovered that I was Uncle Nat’s blue-eyed boy. I was, you know.’

‘But you quarrelled with Nat! Always, Stephen!’

‘Sure I did, but without prejudice, until Joe came.’

She was silent for a moment, not doubting his sincerity, yet unable to believe that he was not regarding Joseph with a distorted vision. ‘He got Nat to make a will in your favour.’

‘Do you always believe what Joe tells you?’ asked Stephen. ‘He worried him into making a will. I don’t know what happened: I wasn’t there. Joe saw to that. But I can imagine Uncle Nat giving in to Joe, and then making the will out in my favour. That would have been a joke he’d have appreciated. Only Joe was clever, and he saw to it that the will should be invalid.’

‘You’ve never spoken a word of this!’

His lips curled. ‘No. Only to you, and you think I’m unhinged, don’t you? What do you suppose everyone else would think? I can tell you, if you don’t know.’

She looked up at him, dawning horror in her eyes. ‘Yes, of course I know. If you’re right, it puts a hideous complexion on so much that has happened! I haven’t stayed here often enough to be able to judge. I always ascribed the trouble that Joe has such a knack of starting to incurable tactlessness. But I see that your explanation might be correct.’