temple. You must catch whoever did this.’
‘Why do you think someone else caused their deaths, Tom?’
‘After seeing their faces, I cannot imagine them doing that to themselves.’
Swann nodded.
‘How well did you know Miss Leigh and Miss Templeton? Did you talk to them often?’
There was a moment’s hesitation before Tom answered.
‘Uh, no, occasionally the girl, Grace, I mean Miss Templeton, might stop and talk with me when I was out tending to the flowers.’
‘What did you converse about?’
‘Flowers mainly, she said how much she loved them.’
‘And Miss Leigh, did you ever talk with her?’
‘No.’
‘You seem very certain,’
‘I would say if I had.’
Swann accepted this for now.
‘When you were in the temple, did you notice anything else? Perhaps something that may have been written.’
‘There was nothing.’
‘Perhaps a note or such-like?’
‘Are you saying I’m lying?’
‘Goodness no, I am not saying that at all. I am merely attempting to establish the facts surrounding these deaths.’
‘There was nothing else in the temple,’ said Tom, a little calmer.
‘And then what did you do?’
‘I swam back across the lake as quickly as I could.’
‘Why did you not take the boat back?’
Tom thought for a moment and scratched his forehead. ‘I don’t rightly know,’ he said. ‘It must have been the shock at finding them.’
‘So once you reached this side of the lake again, you told Miss Jennings.’
Tom nodded.
‘And what did she do?’
‘She gave instructions that all the girls were to be kept in the dormitories, which face away from the lake. Then she told me to swim across the lake again and bring back the boat. She said not to touch the bodies.’
‘And did you?’
‘No I didn’t, not this time.’
‘So are you saying you touched the bodies when you were there the first time?’
‘I er, no, I mean, if I did, it was only to check to see if they were still alive.’
Swann nodded.
‘And then what happened when you retrieved the boat?’
‘I rowed Miss Jennings across to the island. When we reached it, she told me to stay in the boat while she went to the temple.’
‘How long was she in there?’
‘Around five minutes, maybe ten, I can’t remember exactly.’
‘Then she came back to the boat?’
‘Yes. On her return she asked me to retrieve the bodies and bring them to the boat. After I had loaded them in, I rowed Miss Jennings across. I then took the bodies, one at a time, to the chapel.’
‘Did Miss Jennings say anything while you were in the boat?’
‘Only to give me instructions and then to say if anyone were to ask what had happened, to tell them it had been a boating accident.’
‘Has anyone asked you?’
Tom shook his head.
‘Thank you Tom, that is all for now.’
Swann stood up to leave, but then paused.
‘Actually Tom, there is one more question I would like to ask. When you went into the temple the second time, after Miss Jennings had been in there alone, did you notice if anything was different?’
‘Different?’
‘Was there anything that looked as if it might have been moved or taken?’
‘Not that I know. It all looked the same.’
Swann nodded and turned back toward the main house. As he did so he glimpsed a figure looking out at him from one of the dormitory windows. Before he could see who it was, they were gone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Harriet Charlotte Montague was born in 1744 on the outskirts of Bath, in the village of Swainswick. She grew up in the small parish with her sister, Cassandra Jane, until the age of twenty, when Harriet married and moved away.
Although Swainswick was steeped in history – it not only laid claim to being the place where Bladud, the founder of Bath, and his herd of pigs were cured of leprosy, but nearby Little Solsbury Hill was purportedly the site of the Battle of Badon, one of King Arthur’s greatest victories against the Saxons – such things meant little to Harriet.
‘Why do you think someone else caused their deaths, Tom?’
‘After seeing their faces, I cannot imagine them doing that to themselves.’
Swann nodded.
‘How well did you know Miss Leigh and Miss Templeton? Did you talk to them often?’
There was a moment’s hesitation before Tom answered.
‘Uh, no, occasionally the girl, Grace, I mean Miss Templeton, might stop and talk with me when I was out tending to the flowers.’
‘What did you converse about?’
‘Flowers mainly, she said how much she loved them.’
‘And Miss Leigh, did you ever talk with her?’
‘No.’
‘You seem very certain,’
‘I would say if I had.’
Swann accepted this for now.
‘When you were in the temple, did you notice anything else? Perhaps something that may have been written.’
‘There was nothing.’
‘Perhaps a note or such-like?’
‘Are you saying I’m lying?’
‘Goodness no, I am not saying that at all. I am merely attempting to establish the facts surrounding these deaths.’
‘There was nothing else in the temple,’ said Tom, a little calmer.
‘And then what did you do?’
‘I swam back across the lake as quickly as I could.’
‘Why did you not take the boat back?’
Tom thought for a moment and scratched his forehead. ‘I don’t rightly know,’ he said. ‘It must have been the shock at finding them.’
‘So once you reached this side of the lake again, you told Miss Jennings.’
Tom nodded.
‘And what did she do?’
‘She gave instructions that all the girls were to be kept in the dormitories, which face away from the lake. Then she told me to swim across the lake again and bring back the boat. She said not to touch the bodies.’
‘And did you?’
‘No I didn’t, not this time.’
‘So are you saying you touched the bodies when you were there the first time?’
‘I er, no, I mean, if I did, it was only to check to see if they were still alive.’
Swann nodded.
‘And then what happened when you retrieved the boat?’
‘I rowed Miss Jennings across to the island. When we reached it, she told me to stay in the boat while she went to the temple.’
‘How long was she in there?’
‘Around five minutes, maybe ten, I can’t remember exactly.’
‘Then she came back to the boat?’
‘Yes. On her return she asked me to retrieve the bodies and bring them to the boat. After I had loaded them in, I rowed Miss Jennings across. I then took the bodies, one at a time, to the chapel.’
‘Did Miss Jennings say anything while you were in the boat?’
‘Only to give me instructions and then to say if anyone were to ask what had happened, to tell them it had been a boating accident.’
‘Has anyone asked you?’
Tom shook his head.
‘Thank you Tom, that is all for now.’
Swann stood up to leave, but then paused.
‘Actually Tom, there is one more question I would like to ask. When you went into the temple the second time, after Miss Jennings had been in there alone, did you notice if anything was different?’
‘Different?’
‘Was there anything that looked as if it might have been moved or taken?’
‘Not that I know. It all looked the same.’
Swann nodded and turned back toward the main house. As he did so he glimpsed a figure looking out at him from one of the dormitory windows. Before he could see who it was, they were gone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Harriet Charlotte Montague was born in 1744 on the outskirts of Bath, in the village of Swainswick. She grew up in the small parish with her sister, Cassandra Jane, until the age of twenty, when Harriet married and moved away.
Although Swainswick was steeped in history – it not only laid claim to being the place where Bladud, the founder of Bath, and his herd of pigs were cured of leprosy, but nearby Little Solsbury Hill was purportedly the site of the Battle of Badon, one of King Arthur’s greatest victories against the Saxons – such things meant little to Harriet.
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