“I heard her scream, Inspector,” I said. “I was just dozing off in the room next door, but her scream woke me. I came running and saw her standing there, holding the knife and looking petrified.”

“So, Miss”—he consulted his notes to remind himself—“Warburton-Stoke. I’d like you to think carefully before you answer this. Do you have any idea at all why Mr. Summers would be lying on your bed, naked?”

“Absolutely no idea at all, Inspector. I certainly did not invite him into my room.”

“How well did you know the man?”

“Hardly at all,” Belinda said. “I used to spend my summers with my grandmother in this part of the world. Tony Summers and his wife were also children who spent their summers here. We all used to play together. I was completely surprised when I bumped into Rose Summers coming out of the post office and she recognized me and I found out that she and Tony were married and now living at Trewoma.”

“So that was the first you’d seen of them since childhood?”

Belinda hesitated. Then she said “I had bumped into Tony once at a club in London several years ago. But certainly not kept up the acquaintanceship with either of them.”

I nodded. Good answer, Belinda. She had told the truth, or at least part of it.

“So what are you doing staying at this house, then, if these people were relative strangers now?”

“In the course of our conversation outside the post office I mentioned that we were in search of a hotel room as the little cottage I had inherited was not in a fit state to stay in. Rose immediately suggested we come to stay at Trewoma. I was hesitant to accept, because I really didn’t know them anymore, but she kept insisting, didn’t she, Georgie?”

“She did. She wouldn’t take no for an answer and went on about how seldom they had guests and essentially how lonely it was. It would have been rude not to accept.”

DI Watt nodded slowly. “So it was Mrs. Summers and not Mr. who invited you?”

“Yes, it was,” Belinda replied.

“And what did Mr. Summers think about it?”

“He seemed rather pleased to have guests and was proud of the way he had built up the home farm. He showed us his herd of Jersey cows.”

“He didn’t, at any time, show . . . uh . . . special interest in you, Miss Warburton-Stoke?”

Again Belinda paused. Then she said, “Since his wife was present at all times I find that a strange question. We went around the farm together with Rose Summers. We ate dinner together. We played cards together and then I went to have my bath. Lady Georgie can verify this.”

“Lady who?” He looked confused.

“My friend, Lady Georgiana.”

He spun back toward me. “I thought you said you were Mrs. O’Mara?”