‘Miss Seacliff, my chief concern at the moment is to get a clear account of everybody’s movements during the weekend. Mr Pilgrim has told us of your motor trip with him to Boxover, and then to Ankerton Manor. I should like you to corroborate his statement if you will. Did you return to the studio before you left?’

‘No, I was packing. The housemaid helped me and carried my things down to the car.’

‘You arrived at Captain and Mrs Pascoe’s house in Boxover on Friday afternoon?’

‘Yes.’

‘And spent the afternoon together?’

‘Yes. The Pascoes talked about tennis but I didn’t feel inclined to play. I rather loathe tennis. So we talked.’

Alleyn noticed again her curious little stutter, and the trick she had of letting her voice die and then catching it up on an intake of breath.

‘How did you spend the evening?’

‘We played bridge for a bit. I had a frightful headache and went to bed early. I felt quite sick with it.’

‘That was bad luck. Do you often have these headaches?’

‘Never until lately. They started about a month ago. It’s rather tiresome.’

‘You should consult an oculist.’

‘My eyes are perfectly all right. As a matter of fact a rather distinguished oculist once told me that intensely blue eyes like mine usually give no trouble. He said my eyes were the most vivid blue he had ever seen.’

‘Indeed!’ said Alleyn, without looking at them. ‘How do you explain the headaches, then?’

‘I’m perfectly certain the one on Friday night was due to champagne and port. The Pascoes had champagne at dinner to celebrate my engagement, and there was brandy afterwards. I loathe brandy, so Basil made me have a glass of port. I told him it would upset me but he went on and on. The coffee was filthy, too. Bitter and beastly. Sybil Pascoe is one of those plain women whom one expects to be good housekeepers, but I must say she doesn’t appear to take the smallest trouble over the coffee. Basil says his was abominable, too.’

‘When did you give up the bridge?’

‘I’ve no idea, I’m afraid. I simply couldn’t go on. Basil got me three aspirin and I went to bed. The others came up soon afterwards, I fancy. I heard Basil go into his room.’

‘It was next to yours?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did you sleep?’

‘Like the dead. I didn’t wake till they brought my tea at nine o’clock.’

‘And the headache had cleared up?’

‘Yes, quite. I still felt a little unpleasant. It was a sort of carry-over from that damned port, I imagine.’

‘Were your host and hostess anywhere near you upstairs?’

‘Sybil and Ken? Not very. There was Basil and then me, and then I think two spare rooms and a bathroom. Then their room. Why?’