I just happened to glance across at the cousins and I saw a smirk pass between them. Was this really their idea of a joke? I worried about this later as I lay in bed. They were poor, by their own admission, so I could understand if they wanted to do away with Binky and get their hands on this estate. But they had no connection to the Prince of Wales, and why would anyone want to frighten the countess? The latter was the most easily explained, of course. She had proved herself to be of a nervous disposition. It was she who had seen the monster in the lake. Maybe she had caught sight of Hugo heading for a bathroom and decided she was seeing a ghost.

Of course then my thoughts turned to Hugo. Why had he decided to invite himself to Castle Rannoch when I’m sure the rented house was more pleasant and full of young people like himself. Was he really so besotted with Ronny Padgett that he followed her everywhere? Could he be the one with a grudge against our family? The whole thing was too ridiculous. Then I remembered the feel of Darcy’s lips on mine and the delicious anticipation of the linen cupboard, and fell asleep with a smile on my face.

I was woken by the most ungodly sound—a half-strangled scream, an unearthly wail. I leaped out of bed and ran to the window because the sound seemed to be coming from outside. It was still only half light. Then the sound came closer and of course I realized what it was. It was old Fergus piping in the day around the castle, as had been done for the past six hundred years. I slipped on my dressing gown and went out into the hallway. I could hear voices coming from the other side of the stairwell, where the Americans were housed. Animated voices in considerable distress.

“You heard it too, did you? Unearthly, that’s what it was. A soul in torment. I knew this place was haunted from the moment we came here.”

I crossed the landing and found Babe and Earl, the countess and Fritzi huddled together in their nightclothes. The countess looked up, saw me and screamed. “It’s the White Lady!” she exclaimed, clutching at Earl.

“It’s only me, Countess.”

“It’s young Lady Georgiana,” Earl said. “You heard it too, did you? Confounded noise woke me up. What was it, some kind of animal in distress?”

“No, it was only our piper, resuming his morning round of the castle. He’s been off sick but now it sounds as if he’s back in fine form.”

“Bagpipes, you mean?”

“Of course. You are in Scotland, you know.”

“But it’s not even light yet.”

“Precicely. Bagpipes at dawn. That’s the tradition here.”

“You mean every morning from now on?” Babe looked shocked.