himself and gave me a quick smile. ‘We must not waste time. There is one last thing I wanted to ask you. I would not presume to question Miss Denby concerning her discovery of the body. Anyway, I doubt if we could learn anything from it. I gather she is very distressed?’
‘Greatly so but she seemed ready enough to confide in me. I was going to see her again as no one else seems to bother with her, so if you’d like me to talk to her—’
‘If you don’t mind. I find it strange that a young girl wouldenter a man’s room like that. Are you sure she didn’t know poor Rushworth a little better than her family supposed?’
‘You have made an astute guess. She unburdened herself to me and I promised not to tell but as you’ve worked it out for yourself I must admit you are right. It was a friendship; no more than that, I am sure.’
‘Of course, Rushworth would never have taken advantage of an innocent girl. See if you can find out if he had said anything that might indicate a threat to his life or if he saw some stranger in the park. Perhaps she noticed a particular depression of spirits or signs of anxiety – anything of that sort.’
I nodded and we left the cell.
Outside we found Sophie waiting impatiently and the village constable hovering discreetly at a distance, talking to Sam Bates.
‘At last!’ cried Sophie. ‘I finished my sketch ages ago. Here.’ She handed it to Colonel Hartley. ‘It’s not as good as Aunt Charlotte’s, I’m sure, but at least you can tell what it’s supposed to be.’
‘It’s excellent – just what’s needed. Thank you, Miss Tyler Junior. It only needs Miss Tyler Senior to mark on it where the bottle of wine was found and it is all complete.’
I think he expected me to put a cross but I added a tiny drawing of a bottle. He laughed and thanked me and went off to the laundry to see what was going on.
Sophie watched him walk away. ‘I think that when I
eventually
marry I’d like it to be someone like Colonel Hartley. Younger, of course, and with both arms.’
‘I will keep a lookout for his double,’ I promised her, ‘though I doubt if we’ll find it.’
‘You were in the cell a very long time. What were you doing?’
‘I made a sketch and we looked at the pistol box,’
‘Ah, that must have been the locked box that puzzled me.’
‘And we went through the hermit’s trunk. Nothing of extraordinary interest – clothes, mainly, and bundles of papers which are in that basket that the Colonel gave to Sam Bates.’
‘Is that all?’ Sophie looked quizzical.
‘What else could there be?’
She shrugged. ‘I’m sure if I’d been shut in there with Rowland he’d have attempted to take liberties.’
‘I’ve no doubt he would and I trust you’d give him no such opportunity. But then, Colonel Hartley is a gentleman and I’m afraid Rowland, for all his swagger, is not.’
As we made our way back to our bench I told Sophie I intended to visit Elinor again before dinner.
‘Would you like me to come with you?’
‘No, I think it would be better if I saw her alone. She’s more inclined to confide in me if no one else is there, I’m sure you understand.’
Sophie nodded. ‘She’s such a strange girl, I’m still not sure if I like her or not. I feel sorry for her having to put up with that awful stepmother and her horrid friend. Sir Ralph is pleasant enough but he doesn’t do anything to help.’
‘Ah, that brings me to the question I was going to ask you. What would you say to asking Elinor to come back to stay with us for a few weeks? I’m sure it would do her the world of good and I think she’d open out a little in sympathetic company. We might even be able to do something about her clothes and hair.’
‘I think that’s a lovely idea,’ said Sophie generously.
‘You are a dear, good girl and you deserve the best husband in the world!’
Later in the day, I went, as promised, to see Elinor, who looked quite dreadful, with red,
‘Greatly so but she seemed ready enough to confide in me. I was going to see her again as no one else seems to bother with her, so if you’d like me to talk to her—’
‘If you don’t mind. I find it strange that a young girl wouldenter a man’s room like that. Are you sure she didn’t know poor Rushworth a little better than her family supposed?’
‘You have made an astute guess. She unburdened herself to me and I promised not to tell but as you’ve worked it out for yourself I must admit you are right. It was a friendship; no more than that, I am sure.’
‘Of course, Rushworth would never have taken advantage of an innocent girl. See if you can find out if he had said anything that might indicate a threat to his life or if he saw some stranger in the park. Perhaps she noticed a particular depression of spirits or signs of anxiety – anything of that sort.’
I nodded and we left the cell.
Outside we found Sophie waiting impatiently and the village constable hovering discreetly at a distance, talking to Sam Bates.
‘At last!’ cried Sophie. ‘I finished my sketch ages ago. Here.’ She handed it to Colonel Hartley. ‘It’s not as good as Aunt Charlotte’s, I’m sure, but at least you can tell what it’s supposed to be.’
‘It’s excellent – just what’s needed. Thank you, Miss Tyler Junior. It only needs Miss Tyler Senior to mark on it where the bottle of wine was found and it is all complete.’
I think he expected me to put a cross but I added a tiny drawing of a bottle. He laughed and thanked me and went off to the laundry to see what was going on.
Sophie watched him walk away. ‘I think that when I
eventually
marry I’d like it to be someone like Colonel Hartley. Younger, of course, and with both arms.’
‘I will keep a lookout for his double,’ I promised her, ‘though I doubt if we’ll find it.’
‘You were in the cell a very long time. What were you doing?’
‘I made a sketch and we looked at the pistol box,’
‘Ah, that must have been the locked box that puzzled me.’
‘And we went through the hermit’s trunk. Nothing of extraordinary interest – clothes, mainly, and bundles of papers which are in that basket that the Colonel gave to Sam Bates.’
‘Is that all?’ Sophie looked quizzical.
‘What else could there be?’
She shrugged. ‘I’m sure if I’d been shut in there with Rowland he’d have attempted to take liberties.’
‘I’ve no doubt he would and I trust you’d give him no such opportunity. But then, Colonel Hartley is a gentleman and I’m afraid Rowland, for all his swagger, is not.’
As we made our way back to our bench I told Sophie I intended to visit Elinor again before dinner.
‘Would you like me to come with you?’
‘No, I think it would be better if I saw her alone. She’s more inclined to confide in me if no one else is there, I’m sure you understand.’
Sophie nodded. ‘She’s such a strange girl, I’m still not sure if I like her or not. I feel sorry for her having to put up with that awful stepmother and her horrid friend. Sir Ralph is pleasant enough but he doesn’t do anything to help.’
‘Ah, that brings me to the question I was going to ask you. What would you say to asking Elinor to come back to stay with us for a few weeks? I’m sure it would do her the world of good and I think she’d open out a little in sympathetic company. We might even be able to do something about her clothes and hair.’
‘I think that’s a lovely idea,’ said Sophie generously.
‘You are a dear, good girl and you deserve the best husband in the world!’
Later in the day, I went, as promised, to see Elinor, who looked quite dreadful, with red,
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