The butler led the way further into the staff quarters, past the kitchens and servants’ hall and up a short flight of steps 99to a room on the castle’s cold outer wall. As he unlocked the door and stood aside to let them pass, Archie was taken aback by the overpowering scent of exotic flowers. Three dramatic centrepieces took pride of place on the table – arrangements of holly, red carnations and white lilies in various combinations – and more holly stood soaking in buckets on the flagstone floor. A bench ran the length of the room, littered with scissors, string and vases, and the next candidates for display – roses and chrysanthemums in shades of gold and burnt orange – were waiting in the sink. Two crates with a Scilly Isles stamp stood by the door, and the simple, tightly budded daffodils – their yellow-green heads promising the first sign of spring – came as something of a relief.

‘Shall I get it down for you, Miss?’ the butler asked.

‘Yes please, Lee.’ He moved the floral displays carefully to one end of the table, then took down a long gift box from the top shelf. ‘This arrived yesterday for Miss Dietrich,’ Hilaria explained, seeing the look of confusion on Archie’s face. ‘I’ll let you open it.’ He took the lid off and looked down at the perfect red roses. ‘There are thirteen,’ she said, as he began to count them. ‘Look at the card.’

He picked it up and read the message. ‘Mein Engel, mit wärmsten Wünschen für Weihnachten – und mit Bewunderung – Adolf Hitler.’

‘I was hoping you might reassure me that this couldn’t possibly be genuine,’ Hilaria said.

‘I’m afraid it probably is.’ He told her about the visitors to Marlene’s hotel suite. ‘Ironically, she came here to get away.’

‘We’ll have to tell her, won’t we?’ Hilaria said reluctantly. ‘We should at least give her the option to leave if she feels 100she’s being threatened – and sooner rather than later. There are blizzards coming in tonight, and a boat won’t get to the mainland once they start.’

‘I’ll talk to her, but I doubt she’ll want to go anywhere. She strikes me as someone who likes to face up to things rather than run from them.’ Archie read the card again. ‘Now I understand why you were so sensitive when Fielding made that comment about Marlene being in safe hands.’

‘Yes, it was unfortunate under the circumstances, but I’m hoping it was just a turn of phrase on his part. The last thing we want is this in the newspaper – although he seemed just as impressed by your celebrity as he was by hers.’

Archie smiled. ‘You say these arrived yesterday?’

‘That’s right. About four o’clock, wasn’t it, Lee?’

‘Yes, Miss.’

‘Before it was announced in the paper that she’d be here. Did the guests know in advance?’

‘Only you and Fielding, but he was sworn to secrecy by his editor.’

‘I didn’t think Barbara Penhaligon looked in the least bit surprised to bump into Marlene.’