“There is supposed to be a bell, my lady,” the footman said. “But it doesn’t seem to be working. We’ve got an electrician coming to take a look at it.”

“So none of you heard a knock that evening?”

Heads were shaken. “No, my lady,” was murmured.

“And nobody saw anybody walking around outside, or heard the sound of a motorcar?”

“Your maid said she saw someone in the courtyard,” one of the girls said. “But that was right after we told her about the ghosts. Ever so upset, she was.”

I smiled again. “Yes, my maid tends to be rather impressionable. So nobody else saw the white figure in the courtyard?”

“We don’t have any windows that look out on the courtyard, my lady,” the same girl replied. “And I don’t think we’d have heard a motorcar outside either. I’m sorry we didn’t answer the door to your friend. Please tell her about the bell not working.”

“Of course. It’s certainly not your fault and my friend only paid a surprise visit on the off chance she’d see me. No harm done. But one more thing, before I let you get back to your porridge. Did any of you go out that evening?”

“No, my lady,” the footman said. “It was raining, if you remember, and we wouldn’t have been allowed an evening off when royalty was in the house.”

“What about Countess Irmtraut? What did she do all evening?”

“We served her dinner and then she had coffee in the salon,” one of them said. “She wasn’t very happy. Didn’t like the food.”

“I take it she didn’t go out in the rain either?” I asked.

Heads were shaken but one girl said, “She must have popped out for a minute. I don’t know why. But when I came to clear away the coffee she was standing by the door. I could see raindrops on her hairnet and she was wearing a jacket.”

“What time was this?”

“Must have been about nine, my lady.”

I smiled at them all then. “Thank you. I’m sorry to have interrupted your breakfast.” And I left them glancing at each other uneasily.