He turned as if to leave, then looked back suddenly. “This is the only property you own apart from Castle Rannoch?”

“Yes,” I said. “I don’t own it. My brother does.”

“Naturally. And Castle Rannoch—what is it like?”

“Cold and drafty,” I said.

“Most inconvenient, but it can’t be helped. And the estate—it produces a good income?”

“I have no idea what kind of income the estate produces,” I said, “and if I knew, I should not be discussing it with a stranger. Forgive me, but I have things I must attend to.”

With that I closed the door. Horrible man. Just who did he think he was?

Binky arrived around four, also rather flustered as he had traveled without a manservant.

“I couldn’t find a porter and had to carry my own bag across the station,” he said grouchily. “I’m so glad to find you still here. I thought you’d be off helping with some wedding or other.”

“That’s not for a couple of weeks,” I said, glad he had reminded me of the story I had concocted to facilitate my escape. “And I gather the bride’s house is packed full of relatives, so I’ll be staying on here, if that’s all right.”

He nodded absentmindedly. “I’m quite frazzled, Georgie. A good soak in the tub and then tea and crumpets should revive me, I think.”

“You still take cold baths, do you?” I asked.

“Cold baths? I had to have them every day at school, of course, but not lately by choice.”

“Well, that’s the only choice at the moment,” I said, secretly rather enjoying it. “The boiler has not been lit.”

“Why on earth not?”

“Because I have been here alone, dear brother, and your wife did not give me permission to turn on the boiler, even if I had any idea how to perform such a feat. I have been heating a pan of water to wash in the mornings, and I’m afraid you’ll just have to do the same.”

“That’s a dashed unpleasant blow to a chap after he’s come all the way from Scotland on a beastly cold train.” He broke off, as my words had finally penetrated. “Here all alone, you say? No servants or anything?”

“Just me,” I said. “Fig wouldn’t lend me any of your staff and I have no money to hire staff of my own, as you very well should know, since you were the one who cut off my allowance on my twenty-first birthday.”

He went red. “Look here, Georgie. You make me sound like an ogre. I really didn’t want to but, dash it all, I just haven’t the income to support you for the rest of your life. You’re supposed to marry, you know, and let some other poor blighter take care of you.”

“Thank you for those kind words,” I said.

“So what you’re saying is, in effect, that there is nobody here to run my bath, nobody to make me tea and crumpets, nothing?”