Or perhaps been carried away by the person who had done her the evil in the first place.”

“The evil?”

“Well, sir, I supposed that she must have been carried to the Dyke by someone who meant her harm. One hears such terrible things nowadays.”

“You knew the lady?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Who was it?”

“Mrs Strange.”

There was a moment’s silence.

“But it could not have been,” said Strange, perplexed. “Mr Hyde, if any thing of a distressing nature had happened to Mrs Strange, I think someone would have told me. I am not so shut up with my books as that. I am sorry, Mr Hyde, but you are mistaken. Whoever this poor woman was, it was not Mrs Strange.”

Mr Hyde shook his head. “If I saw you, sir, in Shrewsbury or Ludlow, I might not know you immediately. But Mrs Strange’s father was curate of my parish for forty-seven years. I have known Mrs Strange – Miss Woodhope as she was then – since she was an infant taking her first steps in Clunbury churchyard. Even if she had not looked at me I would have known her. I would have known her by her figure, by her way of walking, by her everything.”

“What did you do after you had lost sight of the woman?”

“I rode straight here – but your servant would not let me in.”

“Jeremy? The man you spoke to just now?”

“Yes. He told me that Mrs Strange was safe within. I confess that I did not believe him and so I walked around your house and looked in at all the windows, until I saw her seated upon a sopha in this very room.” Mr Hyde pointed to the sopha in question. “She was wearing a pale blue gown – not black at all.”

“Well, there is nothing remarkable in that. Mrs Strange never wears black. It is not a colour I like to see a young woman wear.”

Mr Hyde shook his head and frowned. “I wish I could convince you, sir, of what I saw. But I see that I cannot.”

“And I wish I could explain it to you. But I cannot.”

They shook hands at parting. Mr Hyde looked solemnly at Strange and said, “I never wished her harm, Mr Strange. Nobody could be more thankful that she is safe.”

Strange bowed slightly. “And we intend to keep her so.”

The door closed upon Mr Hyde’s back.

Strange waited a moment and then went to find Jeremy. “Why did not you tell me that he had been here before?”

Jeremy made a sort of snorting noise of derision. “I believe I know better, sir, than to trouble you with such nonsense! Ladies in black dresses walking about in snow-storms!”

“I hope you did not speak too harshly to him.”

“Me, sir? No, indeed!”

“Perhaps he was drunk. Yes, I expect that was it. I dare say he and David Evans were celebrating the successful conclusion of their business.”