‘No glass,’ mused Harry. ‘Of course she was greedy enough to drink from the bottle. It must have been someone she knew and wasn’t frightened of.’

‘Like the husband?’

‘I’m sure it’s someone else.’ Harry went to the window and opened it. Then he bent and sniffed.

‘Smell this. I think after she had been drugged, our murderer poured the contents of the champagne that was left out into the garden and some of it splashed on the sill.’

‘There are reinforcements arriving,’ said Kerridge. ‘I’ll have all their rooms searched.’

‘Tell your men to look for a hypodermic’

‘You should have put gloves on before you touched that window.’

Harry sighed. ‘If you think this lot are going to let you take their fingerprints without a direct order from the prime minister, then you are very much mistaken.’

‘I wish I were a man,’ said Rose fiercely to Daisy.

‘Why?’

‘Captain Cathcart is up there with the police, being informed of everything. We just have to wait until he deigns to tell us something.’

‘I wonder why she was killed?’ said Daisy. ‘If she was killed and didn’t choke to death shoving food in her mouth.’

‘I’m sure it’s murder. I wonder if she knew who the murderer of Freddy Pomfret was. Just suppose he collected the evidence against her when he shot Freddy and decided to do a bit of blackmailing himself. He goes to her and she tells him she’s had enough and is going to tell the police. What else could he do but murder her?’

‘I wish we could get out of here,’ mourned Daisy. ‘I’m frightened to death, I can tell you. Telby Castle seems exciting now, looking back on that murder last year, but at the time I was scared and unhappy, and I’m scared and unhappy now.’

Rose gave her a quick hug and Daisy looked at her in surprise. Rose was normally not given to demonstrations of affection.

‘I sent a footman off with a telegram to my parents,’ said Rose, ‘which means that they will shortly arrive to remove me from here as soon as possible and the field will be left to Captain Cathcart.’

‘The press will be here soon as well,’ said Daisy.

‘Perhaps not. I think that Scotland Yard will want to keep this quiet as long as possible.’

‘They can’t,’ said Daisy. ‘All the village was there when that maid burst into the church crying murder.’

‘Oh, I’ve just thought of something.’ Rose bit her lip in vexation. ‘They’ll be searching all around the countryside just in case it was someone from outside. What if they come across McWhirter’s body in the Thames? Then it will all come out, me being in the asylum.’