She was standing right behind her husband and Matt could see that she was gripping his father’s shoulder firmly, alerting him not to speak either. It came as a shock, but there was no mistaking that this was a portrait of the girl who had been their under housemaid.

‘I’m her aunt.’

‘And I’m her intended husband,’ Mr Greaves announced.

Matt stared at him, trying to mask his disgust. No wonder the poor girl had fled to scrub floors.

‘We understand the girl once in your employ was about the right age and had dark hair and brown eyes.’

‘Then you were misinformed, Mrs Osborne.’ Louise gave a regretful smile. ‘The housemaid who stole from us had fair hair, pale skin and blue eyes. And she was at least twenty.’

‘Her mother must be very worried,’ Gilbert said, speaking for the first time. ‘May we ask why your niece ran away?’

‘After her father, Cyrus Winford, lost all his money in the crash and killed himself, Eugenie was distraught and fled. My sister has not coped well, and is incapable of dealing with her own affairs.’ Mrs Osborne didn’t try to hide her scorn. ‘That has left me with the burden of trying to find her wayward daughter.’

Matt turned away and wandered over to the window in order to hide his look of fury. Poor little devil!

‘Do you believe that your niece would be working as a servant?’ Their mother’s face was a picture of disbelief as she handed the picture back to Mrs Osborne.

‘We have tried all her friends and anyone she might have gone to, without success,’ Mrs Osborne told them. ‘She walked out with few possessions and nothing of any great value. So we have come to the conclusion that she would have needed a roof over her head, and one way to do that is to become a servant. We are now reduced to investigating any lead. She is very wilful. After her father’s unfortunate demise, Mr Greaves had been willing to give her a good home and a prestigious marriage as soon as she was old enough. Ungrateful girl!’

‘She is strong-minded,’ Mr Greaves said, ‘but she would soon have come in line. The Templeton School has fitted her only for a life of privilege.’

Matt felt like punching his bloated face as he felt John stir beside him. His eldest brother had a very short temper. How he would love to tell this arrogant man that he was quite wrong. Eugenie had indeed been their under housemaid, and had been very capable of hard work. His respect for her grew. What courage the child had.

‘Are you certain you haven’t seen her?’ Mrs Osborne persisted. ‘You can’t see it in the picture, but she has unusual eyes, inherited from her American father. They are pale brown and in certain lights appear almost amber.’