He stroked his chin again, staring into the fire. “So this overdose of sleeping powder last night—was she the type of woman who might get despondent enough to take her own life, would you say, or was it just an accident?”

“I really don’t know her well enough to comment on that,” I said, and decided to stay silent about the row with her brother and the way she had stormed out of his rooms the week before. No doubt that would all come out when he spoke to the others. “And there is a third possibility you haven’t yet mentioned, Chief Inspector,” I added. “That someone attempted to murder Lady Irene as well.”

“Yes, the old duchess mentioned that, didn’t she? All right. Let’s take this one step further, Lady Georgiana. Any idea who?”

“I’ve no idea at all,” I said. “As I said, I’m a recently arrived guest myself. I wasn’t personally acquainted with the family until now.”

“Ah.” He gave a self-satisfied grin. “So you are thinking along the lines of it being one of the family then—not an outsider?”

“I haven’t really given it much thought, Chief Inspector,” I said, trying to keep my face a serene mask. “I suppose it’s entirely possible that an outsider was lying in wait for the duke on that footpath. Since I know nothing of his lifestyle, I couldn’t even begin to suggest whether he had enemies elsewhere.” I remembered what Virginia had said. “Or if he bumped into a tramp who wasn’t right in the head. You do see them wandering about these days, now that there’s no work to be had, don’t you?”

He looked hard at me. “Now, that would be convenient for all concerned, wouldn’t it? Blaming it on the mysterious tramp who just happens to vanish afterward. I’ve read it in a dozen books.”

“I’m just throwing out all possibilities since you asked for my opinion, Chief Inspector. I suppose a family member could just as easily have bumped off the duke in the house whenever they chose. A good shove down one of those long flights of stairs might have done it.”

He looked at me with an expression of amusement mixed with amazement. “You certainly are a modern young woman, aren’t you? Cool as a cucumber.”

“I don’t feel cool,” I said. “Actually, this whole thing has made me feel rather sick. But I do want to help if I can, and there’s one thing that may be relevant. The duke went out to post a letter, so one is told. When I came across him though, there was no letter in his hand. Did you perhaps find one in his pockets?”

“No,” he said. “There was no letter. Any idea what was in this letter?”