‘That’s right.’ She looked directly at her husband, and Josephine saw sadness in her eyes rather than fear. ‘I honestly 198thought he’d gone mad, but it was just hatred, pure and simple. Our marriage has been heading that way for a long time.’

‘Did you go right to the top of the tower?’

‘Yes. He made me climb out onto the chair.’ There was a collective intake of breath around the room and Josephine exchanged a look of horror with Marta; even Archie seemed temporarily thrown from his questioning. ‘It doesn’t seem to have changed much between us, though,’ Rachel continued. ‘I’m still the one with the bruises.’

‘What happened next?’

‘Gerry helped me back down. To be fair, I think he’d frightened himself as much as he frightened me. I nearly slipped at one point, and that was going further than he had intended, so he left me alone after that. I came back down when I was feeling strong enough, and went straight to my room, hoping not to bump into anyone, but I think you’d all turned in by then. There were no lights on in our corridor.’

‘And your husband?’

It was the question she seemed to have been waiting for, and she didn’t hesitate in giving her answer. ‘I left him on his knees in the snow, and I didn’t see him again until much later.’

‘That’s a fucking lie!’ Lancaster launched himself across the table, but Fielding – seated next to him – forced him back to his chair. ‘She’s trying to set me up, Penrose. Isn’t that obvious?’

‘So you deny being in the church last night?’

He hesitated. ‘No, that bit’s true, but—’

‘And yet you lied about it, so why should I believe you now?’ 199

‘Because we went back to our room together. I swear it. For Christ’s sake, Rachel – tell them. Do you even know what you’re saying? They’ll have me down for murder.’

‘Do you stand by what you said, Mrs Lancaster?’ Archie asked. ‘Did you leave the church alone?’ She nodded. ‘And did you see anybody else on your way back?’

‘No. As I said, everyone seemed to have gone to bed by then. It was just before midnight – I know that, because I heard a clock striking the hour shortly after I got back to my room. I remember thinking that it was a strange way to start Christmas.’

‘How much later did your husband come back?’

‘I can’t say exactly. I know I heard the clock strike one, but after that I must have fallen asleep. When I woke again, he was there beside me.’

‘I was there beside you all the time, damn it, and you know I was.’

Archie ignored the interruption. ‘Did you notice the snow outside the church? Had anybody crossed the terrace before you and your husband?’

She thought for a moment before answering. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t remember.’

‘What about on top of the tower?’

‘Definitely not. The snow was untouched up there. It would have been beautiful if I hadn’t been so frightened.’