“The young lady was persuaded to put it down on the side table here.”

I heard another grunt of surprise. “That’s no ordinary knife. A nasty-looking weapon if ever I saw one. Where did she find a thing like that? I wonder.”

“I regret to say that she found it in this house, Inspector. The former owner was a great traveler and collector. There are weapons from all over the world on the walls in the library and long gallery. It would have been all too easy to take one of them.”

“I see. And the deceased was the current owner of this house?”

“Yes. Mr. Anthony Summers.”

“I don’t remember having heard the name. Wasn’t it something different? A Cornish name?”

“It was the Trefusis family, Inspector. Unfortunately, Mr. Ferrers Trefusis and his wife died tragically in a plane crash. Mr. Summers came to the house when he married Miss Jonquil Trefusis, who had inherited the property from her parents. That would have been just over three years ago.”

“So his wife is the heiress to this estate?”

“Not his current wife. His former wife.”

“He’s got through two wives in three years?” The inspector sounded incredulous.

“Unfortunately Miss Jonquil met with a tragic accident when they had been married for less than a year. She was standing on a cliff top when it crumbled under her and she plunged to her death.”

“I remember reading something about that. I was stationed on the other side of Cornwall, at Launceston, at the time. Tragic thing to happen to a young girl.”

“It was devastating. If anyone loved life, it was Miss Jonquil. I had looked after her since she was a baby,” Mrs. Mannering said.

“And when she died he got his hands on all the property?”

“It wasn’t like you make it sound, Inspector. I can assure you there was no indication of foul play. In fact Mr. Summers was over at the home farm when the accident happened. Anyway, they seemed quite happy together. They were a well-matched pair.”

“But he didn’t waste any time getting married again?”

“I’m afraid you are right. He rather rushed into it. Unfortunate circumstances, I think. It is not for me to gossip but I understood that the current Mrs. Summers was in the family way and Mr. Summers did the right thing by marrying her.”

“And how was their marriage? Presumably not too happy if he was found naked in another woman’s room.”

“I don’t think they were an ideal couple if you really want my opinion,” Mrs. Mannering said. “She was not of his class. A lowborn young woman without any social graces. Quite unsuited to running a great house like Trewoma. I have tried to educate her but I can’t say we have been making much progress.”