“What possible motive could Mrs. Mannering have for killing Tony?” I asked. “Or for trying to pin it on you, for that matter? She hardly knows you and it’s certainly not going to help her in any way. If Rose decides to sell up because she’s had enough of big, gloomy houses, Mrs. M. will be out of a job.”

“I suppose it could have been an intruder,” Belinda said. “It must be easy enough to get into a house this size without being seen. Someone with a grudge against Tony—again we come back to Uncle Francis.” She grabbed my hand. “Oh, Georgie, I do so hope it is him. Or should that be ‘it is he’? My grammar was never the strongest.”

“It’s not very charitable to wish a murder on your uncle, however obnoxious he is,” I said, wrestling with my own uncharitable feelings about Belinda’s uncle. “Do you really want your uncle to hang?”

Belinda frowned. “But he’s such a good candidate. And if he did do this, then he did it fully intending me to be the prime suspect. He wouldn’t bat an eyelid if I was hanged and he got his hands on my lovely money.” She let the curtain fall. “Oh, I do wish we’d never come here. I do wish I’d refused Rose’s invitation. I really didn’t want to accept.”

“But it would have been rude not to,” I said. “And it did seem like a godsend after a night at White Sails.”

Belinda put on her dressing gown. “The only good thing I can think of is that I left my toilet bag in the bathroom last night. At least I’ll have my face flannel and cosmetics. I don’t know what I’d have done without those. But as for what I’m going to wear . . .”

“I didn’t bring much with me,” I said. “You’re welcome to my spare skirt and jumper.”

She opened my wardrobe and stood, eyeing them with obvious distaste. “Not wanting to be rude or anything, but they are not exactly me, are they?”

“I agree they are not the height of fashion,” I said.

“Not the height of fashion? Georgie, you’ve had that old tartan skirt as long as I’ve known you. It’s gone all saggy in the bottom.”

“True,” I agreed. “I didn’t pack anything elegant because I thought we were driving to view a house and then coming home again. So I went for comfort over haute couture.”

This forced her to laugh. I came over to stand beside her. “The jumper and skirt are pretty grim, aren’t they? I’ve never had what you might call a large wardrobe and these are from my Castle Rannoch days. But in truth, I didn’t actually think I’d need a change of clothes. I just threw them in at the last minute.”