He gave me a sad smile. “You are a loyal friend, I can see that. But I’m afraid you might have to face facts. Miss Warburton-Stoke might not have been quite upfront with you in this matter. She knew this man. She might well have been his mistress. And I’m afraid she will turn out to be guilty.”

I followed him out of the front door and stood on the threshold as they bundled her into the back of a police motorcar. She gave me a last frightened glance as they drove away. I felt sick. I’d let them take my best friend. I hadn’t been able to stop them. And I realized the frightening truth that it was all up to me, yet I had no idea where to begin.

MY HEART WAS pounding. I tried to stay calm and think logically. Should I get into Brutus and drive after them to see where Belinda was being taken? I dismissed this as being a waste of time when time was of the essence. They presumably wouldn’t let me keep her company so what good was being in Truro when the murder had happened here? Think, Georgie. Step number one would be to do as Belinda had asked, to call her father. I was going to ask for permission to use the telephone when I came to a decision. I would not make the telephone call from the house where I could be overheard, but from the telephone box in the nearest village.

I needed to escape for a while anyway for my own sanity and to formulate my plans. I went to find Rose. She was sitting in the morning room with an untouched cup of tea in front of her.

“I shouldn’t impose on you any longer,” I said. “I’ll pack my things and go to find a hotel in Truro where I can be close to Belinda.”

“That’s not necessary. You don’t have to leave. I have no quarrel with you, Lady Georgiana.”

“But I’d feel most awkward staying on in this house of mourning. You certainly don’t want to entertain a stranger.”

To my surprise she grabbed my hand. “Don’t go. Please.”

I hesitated. I would certainly be of more use to Belinda if I stayed on in this house. I could snoop around for clues, talk to the servants and see if they had noticed anything that might be helpful. I could find the old man again and get to the bottom of who had threatened him with the police and what he might have seen. But I was certainly uneasy about staying on here. Someone had killed in a most violent manner and while I couldn’t think that anyone had a grudge against me, I might find myself in danger if I tried to delve into the manner more deeply. But it had to be done.