‘Yes, Inspector?’ she said. ‘You wanted me? If it isn’t urgent, Sir George is in a terrible state and –’

‘What’s he in a state about?’

‘He’s only just realized that Lady Stubbs is – well, really missing. I told him she’s probably only gone for a walk in the woods or something, but he’s got it into his head that something’s happened to her. Quite absurd.’

‘It might not be so absurd, Miss Brewis. After all, we’ve had one – murder here this afternoon.’

‘You surely don’t think that Lady Stubbs –? But that’s ridiculous! Lady Stubbs can look after herself.’

‘Can she?’

‘Of course she can! She’s a grown woman, isn’t she?’

‘But rather a helpless one, by all accounts.’

‘Nonsense,’ said Miss Brewis. ‘It suits Lady Stubbs now and then to play the helpless nitwit if she doesn’t want to do anything. It takes her husband in, I dare say, but it doesn’t take me in!’

‘You don’t like her very much, Miss Brewis?’ Bland sounded gently interested.

Miss Brewis’ lips closed in a thin line.

‘It’s not my business either to like or dislike her,’ she said.

The door burst open and Sir George came in.

‘Look here,’ he said violently, ‘you’ve got to do something. Where’s Hattie? You’ve got to find Hattie. What the hell’s going on round here I don’t know. This confounded fête – some ruddy homicidal maniac’s got in here, paying his half-crown and looking like everyone else, spending his afternoon going round murdering people. That’s what it looks like to me.’

‘I don’t think we need take such an exaggerated view as that, Sir George.’

‘It’s all very well for you sitting there behind the table, writing things down. What I want is my wife.’

‘I’m having the grounds searched, Sir George.’

‘Why did nobody tell me she’d disappeared? She’s been missing a couple of hours now, it seems. I thought it was odd that she didn’t turn up to judge the Children’s Fancy Dress stuff, but nobody told me she’d really gone.’

‘Nobody knew,’ said the inspector.

‘Well, someone ought to’ve known. Somebody ought to have noticed.’

He turned on Miss Brewis.

‘You ought to have known, Amanda, you were keeping an eye on things.’

‘I can’t be everywhere,’ said Miss Brewis. She sounded suddenly almost tearful. ‘I’ve got so much to see to. If Lady Stubbs chose to wander away –’

‘Wander away? Why should she wander away? She’d no reason to wander away unless she wanted to avoid that dago fellow.’

Bland seized his opportunity.

‘There is something I want to ask you,’ he said. ‘Did your wife receive a letter from Mr De Sousa some three weeks ago, telling her he was coming to this country?’

Sir George looked astonished.

‘No, of course she didn’t.’