“Who else would know that this de Mauxville had come to claim Castle Rannoch?”

“Our solicitors, unfortunately. Apart from them, I couldn’t say.”

She sat frowning for a moment. Then she said, “I think your best approach is to play your trump card.”

“Trump card?”

“Your royal connection, my dear. You summon the police, acting with righteous indignation. You have just found a body in your bathtub. You have no idea who he is or how he got there. Kindly have it removed instantly. Think of your great-grandmother. The lower classes are always in awe of anything royal.”

“And if they ask me if I know him? I can’t tell a lie.”

“Be suitably vague. You think he came to the house once to see your brother. Of course you were never personally introduced to him, so officially you don’t know him.”

“That’s true enough. I never was introduced.” I sighed.

She patted my knee. “You do have a good alibi, don’t you?”

“Me? Not one I can divulge to them. I was cleaning somebody’s house. I can’t let anyone know about that.”

“No, of course you can’t. Oh, dear, then we’d better give you one. Let’s see. You and I went shopping at Harrods together in the morning and then we lunched together at my place, and arrived, together, at Rannoch House. You went up to change and discovered the body, after which we summoned the police immediately.”

I looked at her with admiration. “Belinda—you’d do that for me?”

“Of course. Think of what we went through together at Les Oiseaux. I’ll never forget all those times you covered for me when I was in a pickle. That time I got locked out and had to climb up the ivy—”

I smiled. “Oh, yes. I remember.”

“There you are, then. We’ll have some tea. I’ll get dressed and we’ll go to face the music.”

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Rannoch House
Still Friday afternoon

“There he is.” I pushed open the bathroom door and pointed dramatically at the body, which hadn’t moved since I’d seen him last.

Belinda went over and eyed him critically. “What a nasty-looking man. Was he equally unpleasant in life?”

“Worse,” I said.

“Then you have obviously done society a favor. The world is less one horrid person.”

“I had nothing to do with his death, Belinda, and I’m sure Binky didn’t either. We’ve just provided the bath.”

She peered closely at him, utterly unsqueamish about the revolting spectacle. “So how did he get into your bath, do you think?”

“I have no idea. I went out to do my domestic duties, leaving Binky in the house. I came home to find the front door unlocked, water all over the floor, and this man lying here.”

“And what does Binky say about it?”

“I’m afraid he’s done a quick getaway back to Scotland.”