“Yes, my mother,” Lord Lynche replied. “As you see, she is a very remarkable personality, a woman of great character, but she has grown old and is sometimes rather strange in her ways. I would not be disloyal, but, believe me, I am speaking in your best interests and I beg you to go from here and to go quickly.”

Carina’s chin went up.

“Run away, in fact,” she challenged.

“No, no, no!” Lord Lynche answered. “You don’t understand, how could you? It is not that the post is too difficult for you personally, it is just that you don’t want to be mixed up with this lying and deception over the child.”

“And what are you suggesting should happen to him?” Carina asked. “Would you like me to take him with me, as your mother suggested?”

Lord Lynche looked startled.

“My mother suggested that?”

“Yes, indeed,” Carina replied. “She wanted me to take Dipa back to Java – to hide him there, I suppose.”

Lord Lynche put his hand up to his forehead with what seemed to be a gesture of helplessness.

“My mother has strange ideas,” he murmured almost beneath his breath. “It’s very difficult to deal with her. Take my advice. Miss Warner, and don’t try. Go home and – ”

“I have no home,” Carina interrupted. “I have taken this position and, unless I am sacked, I intend to do my best to look after this child.”

She took a deep breath and her dislike of the man to whom she was talking came back with so much force that she said impulsively what she should not have said.

“In fact,” she went on, “I am afraid to leave here for fear of what you might do to him.”

For the first time since their conversation began Lord Lynche’s face curled in a smile.

“Do you really credit me with being a murderer?” he asked.

“I think murder was in your mind and in your mother’s last night,” Carina replied.

“You are very brave, you know,” Lord Lynche said. “How do you know, having guessed my guilty secret, that I shall not drop you down a well or shoot you through the head? It could appear to be an accident and who would suspect me of wanting to do away with a child’s Governess?”

“If you try, I warn you I shall be a difficult corpse,” Carina retorted, speaking half seriously but with a hint of humour in her voice because she had realised how incredible the whole conversation was. “I might come back and haunt you.”

“I doubt it,” Lord Lynche replied. “The ghosts in The Castle were all exorcised with bell, book and candle by my great-grandfather.”

“But I – ” Carina began impetuously and then shut her lips together. Lord Lynche had obviously thought that she was frightened. If she told him what she had seen, he would be sure of it.