‘She confessed to the murder,’ said Rose. ‘I heard her. Roger heard her.’

‘You!’ Harry barked at Roger. ‘Get up off the ground and go into the house and telephone the police.’

‘I can’t,’ wailed Roger. ‘I . . . I’ve wet myself.’

Harry looked at him in disgust. ‘Come, Rose. You will need to do it while I guard this creature. You, Mr Sinclair, will need to wait for questioning. Here, take my cloak.’

Rose hurried off into the house. She drew aside her hostess and told her the police were to be called immediately. There was a murderer in the garden. The alarmed hostess ordered footmen to go into the garden and then called the police.

‘There is no need to alarm your guests,’ said Rose. ‘If you could find us a quiet room.’

She was led to a study to await Harry.

Rose sank down into a chair and began to cry. She was crying not only over the fear of having nearly been killed but also because the dream of Roger had been exploded.

When she heard footsteps approaching the study, she hurriedly dried her eyes. Roger came in wearing Harry’s cloak. He slumped down in another chair and buried his head in his hands. Then Harry came in followed by footmen carrying the unconscious Thomson. Harry ordered them to lay her on the floor and then knelt down beside her.

He raised her head and looked at Rose. ‘She’s still alive. I would not have liked the complications if I had killed her.’ He turned to one of the footmen. ‘Fetch brandy.’

He pulled a chair up next to Rose and held her hand. ‘Why did you go out on the terrace?’

‘Roger said he had a present for me. He said it would only take a few minutes.’

‘And what was the present?’

‘I don’t know. That awful Thomson creature appeared with a gun and ordered us down into the garden.’

Harry surveyed Roger with contempt. ‘You may as well give it to her now.’

‘I must have lost it,’ mumbled Roger, wondering whether it might be possible to die of shame. During his many travel adventures, he had always been surrounded by a protective retinue of servants and had never before been in any danger at all. All he wanted to do now was to get as far away from Rose as possible.

‘Here’s the brandy. Pour Lady Rose a stiff measure,’ Harry ordered.

The door opened and Kerridge walked in with Inspector Judd and six policemen.

‘That’s her,’ said Harry. ‘Get her off to the prison hospital. I want her well enough to stand trial.’ Rose let out a little sigh of relief as the lady’s maid was carried out.

‘Now Lady Rose,’ said Kerridge, ‘we’ll need to take a statement from you.’

‘Can’t it wait until tomorrow?’ asked Harry.

‘It’s all right,’ said Rose. ‘I’ll do it now.’

Roger trembled. She would tell them how he had pleaded for his own life. But Rose, in a flat little voice, merely described how they had both been forced to walk down into the garden and how Thomson had confessed to the murder.