We had a meal of sorts in the dining-room. Metcalfe cleared the table afterwards and departed to wash up. Howard suggested that we retire to the lounge for more drinks. We did so. Once the lounge door had been closed I decided the time had come to act.

When I held them up with my revolver they were shocked, frightened, angry and puzzled. Puzzled because, although they did not trust me, they could not see what I had to gain by acting in this way. As far as they could see I had to allow Howard to remain master of Ardvreck House to look after the gold hidden in its cellars­.

I produced two pairs of handcuffs, threw them on to a couch and told Howard and Adams to put them on. They stood staring at me, still uncertain that there was any sense or ultimate determination in my actions. I told them they had the choice of being shot there and then or of submitting and finding out what I had in mind. My complete sincerity and the reputation I had carefully built up in previous weeks decided them. That, I suppose, and the new look of implacable enmity they read on my face.

They put on the handcuffs. I sat them on a couch with their backs to the door, their hands in their laps while I placed myself opposite them, the gun concealed in my pocket. When Metcalfe knocked at the door – I suppose old habits die hard – I nodded to Howard. He invited Metcalfe in. He was well into the room before I produced the gun. When he was handcuffed I made him pinion his companions’ ankles with the lengths of thick window cord I had in my pockets. I treated his ankles in likewise fashion. One by one I released them from the handcuffs only to refasten their hands behind their backs.

I was now in control of the situation. To the three men’s threats, questions, entreaties I turned a deaf ear. I ran upstairs, retrieved the coil of rope I had hidden in the bedroom and brought it downstairs. When I re-entered the lounge they were talking furiously among themselves. I replaced their ankle bonds with halters of rope and made them shuffle into the hall. There I ordered them to sit on the treads, their backs to the banister while I roped their handcuffs to it.

That was three days ago.

During the next forty-eight hours I made some immediately necessary preparations. I then waited. I fed and watered my three prisoners, released them in turn to take them to the bathroom before reattaching them to their respective pillars. I also spent some time in the second floor tower room writing the earlier part of this account. Is it my impression that this house has a vile, wretched atmosphere correct or is it my imagination fed by Elaine’s account of the things that have been perpetrated here?