She ran down the flight of stairs to the first floor and then hesitated. If she turned right, she would find herself going towards the main staircase that led down into the hall and, if she went left, it was towards the Dowager’s rooms.

Then she remembered that there was another corridor leading to the left just before one reached the Dowager’s room.

She hurried along this and found herself in deserted corridors that seemed, because she was unfamiliar with them, to lead in every direction at once.

‘If I keep straight on,’ Carina thought, ‘I must come to the staircase I climbed this morning when I came up through the kitchens.’

But The Castle was so big and so bewildering that after twisting and turning she suddenly found herself at the wing that she had visited once before and which she recognised as being Tudor.

Here she had seen the ghost and here also Lord Lynche had asked her what she was doing and escorted her to Mrs. Barnstaple’s apartment.

‘If I go back to where he took me, I think I can remember the way,’ Carina told herself.

Even as she turned towards the staircase, which now she recalled quite clearly, Mrs. Barnstaple appeared in the opposite direction and came towards her hurriedly and in what seemed to Carina almost an agitated manner.

“Whatever are you doing here, Miss Warner?” she enquired.

“I am sorry, I am afraid I have lost my way,” Carina said. “I was going to ask for some hot water so that I can wash my hair.”

“You won’t find hot water in this direction,” Mrs. Barnstaple said firmly.

To Carina’s surprise she put out her hand and, taking her by the arm, led her away from the top of the stairs.

“I was lost here once before,” Carina said, “but Lord Lynche found me and took me to your room.”

“Found you here?” said Mrs. Barnstaple in what seemed to Carina a tone of some astonishment. “And what did his Lordship say?”

“He also seemed surprised to see me,” Carina said. “Is there anything wrong about this part of The Castle?”

Mrs. Barnstaple hesitated a moment.

“Not exactly wrong, Miss Warner,” she said, “but everyone is told not to come here because of the ghosts, you see.”

“The ghosts!” Carina cried.

She opened her lips to say, ‘and I have seen one’, but thought better of it.

“Yes, the ghosts,” Mrs. Barnstaple repeated. “We don’t want the maids upset. You know what servants are these days. They won’t stay a moment if there’s anything to frighten them and though I says it I shouldn’t, I’ve got some very good little girls under me and I don’t want to lose them.”

“But what are the ghosts like?” Carina asked.