“You and I had better help, or they’ll never get him up the stairs,” Nicholas said to his brother. “It may be easier if we seat him on a chair and carry him that way.”

“Your Highness. That would be most unseemly,” Dragomir said.

Nicholas laughed. “I’m afraid this is an occasion on which we put protocol aside, if we wish to succeed,” he said. “Your job is to go ahead of us and make sure the coast is clear.” He looked at the rest of us.

“And your job is to go back to the party and act normally. If asked about Pirin’s health be vague. And remember the vow you made.”

“But what about the investigation?” Lady Middlesex demanded. “And the plates that should be tested?”

“I’ll retrieve them now and keep them safe,” Darcy said. He went through to the dining room and wrapped Pirin’s china and glasses inside a couple of napkins. “I moved the dishes around a bit to create some confusion,” he said. “The removal of one place setting might make the servants suspicious. And if you don’t mind, Count Dragomir and Prince Nicholas, I think I should have a word with the servers before they disperse and can gossip among themselves. I’ll need you to translate for me, Dragomir.”

“So your job is to keep the stiff upper lip, as they say in England, ladies,” Nicholas said. “Go back to the party and be merry and gay.”

“I think we should go straight to bed, Deer-Harte,” Lady Middlesex said. “This has been most distressing for all of us. I sincerely hope that we can get away tomorrow and resume our journey back to normal life.”

Miss Deer-Harte nodded. “Oh, I do hope so. I told you when we arrived that I sensed this was a place of death, didn’t I? I am seldom wrong in my intuition.”

And so they left. Darcy turned to me. “You should go back to the party. Above all keep talking to Maria and Siegfried so that they don’t follow us. I’ll come and join you when I can.”

And so our group dispersed.

I tried to slip into the drawing room without being noticed but it seemed that everyone was on edge and Siegfried got to his feet as I came in.

“What news, Lady Georgiana?”

“I’m afraid I’m no medical expert,” I said, “but everyone seems to think that the poor man suffered a heart attack. They have carried him to his room. There’s not much more that can be done for him apart from letting him rest.”

“I feel desolate that there is no doctor in our midst and no way of summoning one other than sending one of the cars back to Brasov. And given the condition of the pass, that could not be accomplished until morning.”

The group was still sitting in subdued silence.