Defeated, I went back downstairs. When I had a chance I’d question the servants. Someone must have cleaned that bathroom this morning. I’d have to find out which maid was responsible. Unfortunately as in any well-run household one hardly ever saw servants. Mrs. Mannering brought in the tray of coffee herself. A footman helped to serve the meals but fires were magically stoked, curtains drawn and floors swept when we were not around.

By midafternoon the fog had lifted. “Do you feel like getting some fresh air?” I asked Belinda.

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to leave the house,” she said. “I’m the prime suspect, aren’t I?”

“Don’t be silly. Nobody could prevent you from going for a walk in the grounds. And besides, I think the inspector and his team have already left. I don’t hear voices, do you?”

Belinda got up. “It might be a good idea. I’ll go mad if I have to sit here any longer.”

We reached the foyer and were about to open the coat cupboard under the stairs when Mrs. Mannering appeared in that unnerving way she had. “You young ladies are not thinking of going out, I hope?”

“Just for a walk in the grounds,” I said. “Miss Belinda is upset and needs fresh air.”

She frowned. “Well, I suppose a walk in the grounds can do no harm, but the inspector was quite insistent that nobody was to leave the property.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not about to run away,” Belinda said. We retrieved our outdoor things and went out into afternoon sunshine.

“Not that way,” Belinda said as I headed for the right. “That leads to the cliffs. I don’t want to be reminded where Jonquil died.” She turned to me. “Georgie, do you think there is a curse associated with this house?”

“I certainly don’t think that some malevolent spirit pushed Jonquil or stabbed Tony,” I said. “Frankly I don’t know what to think. Rose tells us that she suspects Tony pushed Jonquil and now wants to kill her. I don’t know where she got that idea from, but now Tony is dead, not Rose.”

“What do you think she wanted to achieve by telling us what she suspected about Tony? Do you think she really believed he wanted to kill her? Did she want witnesses to say she feared for her own life in case she was accused of his death?”