“I can’t speculate on what might have happened while I was in a sound sleep. As I said, the powders were designed to knock me out. I fell asleep after taking one dose. I awoke to find a stomach pump being administered. If I didn’t remember anything more, how can I tell you about it?”

I looked at her with admiration. She had nearly lost her life but her voice was strong and clear and she appeared to be ready for a good fight.

Chief Inspector Fairbotham cleared his throat. “Maybe when this joint interview is over you can take me to your boudoir and we can count the number of packets of sleeping medicine still remaining. And you might be able to tell me whether one is missing, and we can surmise that someone had attempted to administer an overdose.”

“Who on earth would have done that?” she snapped. “The only people in the house are the ones you see here. I am penniless and homeless, Inspector. I am heir to no fortune. I pose no threat to any of them.”

“Someone in your situation might well be feeling hopeless and depressed, Countess,” the inspector said cautiously.

“If you are suggesting that I attempted to take my own life, Inspector, then let me tell you that my children mean everything to me. I am a mother lioness. I would fight to the death to protect my children, and I would never abandon them. Also, I am from a very old and distinguished family. I was raised to do my duty. I hope I make myself clear.”

There was silence in the room, apart from the gentle patter of rain on the windows.

The chief inspector cleared his throat again. “This little tiff at the table last night—the one you wanted to tell me about, Countess. Perhaps you’d like to recount it to me.”

“It was just my brother being silly and vindictive,” she said. “He liked to put people’s backs up. He was always like that, even as a small boy. He’d do something naughty to be the center of attention. He’d give Mama a fright then he’d laugh.”

“And what naughty thing did he do last night?”

Irene was still staring straight at the inspector, her head held high and her back rigid. “He announced that he was not satisfied with the newly arrived heir from Australia and was taking matters into his own hands. He looked at my mother and said she’d always told him he had to produce an heir, and now he was going to. He planned to adopt his choice of heir. Then he went on to say that it was his French valet, Marcel. Naturally, this caused a complete uproar. My mother said that she would do anything in her power to stop him. I threatened to go up to the House of Lords and ask advice from Daddy’s old friends.”