‘Yes, Tom’s always such a help,’ Dora sniffed.

‘Right, that’s decided.’

‘And you can rely on me and Reg for any help we’re able to give, Dora,’ chipped in Betty.

‘There you are, then, Mum. Let me see what I can find this afternoon and I reckon between us we can work summat out.’

And I just hope there’s summat there to give us a few clues, ’cos I haven’t the slightest idea where to start.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

ELLEN WENT UP to the farm to tell Edward and his parents what had happened to Gina. Nancy Beveridge shook her head sadly and Albert kept silent altogether, so Ellen felt their disapproval of her sister, who had been such a hopelessly unreliable employee for them.

‘And now we’re desperate to find out where she’s gone and bring her home safely, if only to help her face her punishment and try to ease her way into an honest life,’ finished Ellen.

‘Well, good luck with that, love,’ said Nancy, which Ellen couldn’t take as wholehearted encouragement.

Edward offered to come down with Ellen to the Hall to see what they could find that might help to trace her.

‘I think it’s best I ask Uncle Tom to come with me, Ed, but thank you,’ Ellen said. ‘They’re feeling a bit fragile at the Hall, what with James being in trouble, too, and Uncle Tom is known to them.’

‘Yes, you’re right, of course,’ said Edward. ‘You just come and say if you need me, though. You know I’ll do anything I can to help you.’

‘I know,’ said Ellen, giving his hand a discreet squeeze.

Ellen went up the lane to the Hall, stopping at the Lodge to explain to Tom what extraordinary news she had learned from Betty earlier and what she planned to do.

‘Of course I’ll help you,’ he said. ‘We’ll go in through the kitchen and not bother the Stellions at all. They’ve no reason to mind you going into Gina’s rooms. The police have already been through them and they took away only that hatpin.’

Mrs Bassett had already left for the afternoon, but Tom had a key for the back corridor and so they went in that way. The door to Gina’s sitting room was unfastened, of course, with the lock smashed after Tom and the police had forced their way into it the previous day.

The rooms felt deserted and already dustier than the day before.

‘What are we looking for?’ asked Tom.

‘I don’t rightly know. Anything that might be a clue to where Gina has gone,’ said Ellen.

They looked around but the sitting room was strangely impersonal considering Gina had used it for a year. There were just two things on the shelf: her basket of knitting and a book.