“I’m afraid Miss Carrington isn’t going to be living there any longer,” I said. “I don’t know the details. It’s all rather rushed and confused, but I suspect she may be moving abroad.”

“I’m not surprised,” she said. “She sails too close to the wind, if you ask me.”

“Does she?” I sounded surprised. “In what way?”

“I thought you was a friend of hers.” The suspicious look had returned.

“I live in the country,” I said. “I usually only meet her at house parties and the like. She’s a lot of fun, but I can’t say I really know her terribly well. But then who does?”

“A lot of gentlemen, if you ask me.” She sniffed. “Too many gentlemen. She’s not choosy enough. I told her she’d get in trouble one day, and it’s my belief that she did. Of course, she never told me nothing, but I’ve had seven children and I know what the signs are when someone is in the family way. She said she was going to the Continent, but I says to myself, ‘Rubbish. She’s going to have that baby somewhere private.’”

“That’s what I suspected too,” I said. “I didn’t like to mention it, but now that you have . . . did she ever tell you who the father was?”

Mrs. Preston’s gaze became really guarded now. “What are you, one of them newspaper reporters, trying to be all matey-like and worming information out of me?”

“Of course not!” I gave her an indignant stare. “I’m a concerned friend, that’s all. I promise you I would never divulge any of this to the newspapers.”

“Well, there’s no point in asking, ’cos I don’t know. She paid me well to keep me mouth shut,” she said. “When I let meself in in the morning and there was a strange man’s head on the pillow I went about me work and didn’t see nothing. And I never noticed him slipping out via the service lift either.”

“Oh, there’s a service lift.” I nodded. “I thought it would be strange for you to carry up your mops and pails through that very posh foyer.”

She laughed. “Yeah, that would have got me some stares, wouldn’t it? No, love, there’s a service entrance round the back for the likes of us, and for gentlemen who want to slip out without being recognized. I can tell you one who was scared silly when I spotted him. ‘Don’t worry, sir,’ I said. ‘My lips is sealed.’”

“You’re talking about a royal person?”

“Oh no. Nobody like that.” She gave me a knowing wink.

“So tell me, Mrs. Preston,” I said, “did you do everything for Miss Carrington? She didn’t have a maid?”