in bed, sleeping off the glass of scrumpy he managed to gulp down when I wasn’t looking. Went straight to his head, it did, silly old goat. I warned him not to touch it. The Winterhalters were nice enough to bring us home in their motorcar. Really posh it is. The sort of motorcar you should have, Lizzie, instead of that noisy, smelly old motorbike. Your father would turn in his grave if he saw you riding that around the village, I’m sure. Not at all what a lady should be riding, that’s for certain.”
Elizabeth followed her down to the kitchen, paying scant attention to her housekeeper’s prattling. Settling herself at the kitchen table, she watched Violet fill the kettle with cold water. “What about the Winterhalters? Are they here? I didn’t see the motorcar when I came in.”
“Desmond put it in the stables for them. Can’t leave a nice motorcar like that out all night. They’re in the library. I took up a bottle of that good Scotch your major brought over. I thought that nice Mr. Winterhalter was going to kiss me, he was so pleased. Can’t get good Scotch for love nor money nowadays, he told me.”
Deciding she couldn’t put it off any longer, Elizabeth said carefully, “Well, you all missed a good deal of excitement at the wedding.”
Violet set the kettle on the stove and lit the gas under it. “Don’t tell me. Rita Crumm drank too much scrumpy and did a striptease on the tables.”
Surprised her housekeeper even knew about such things, Elizabeth almost laughed. “No,” she said. “I’m afraid it’s a lot more serious than that. Bessie found a dead body in the cellar.”
Violet spun around, one hand over her mouth. “Go on! Who was it?”
“Well, no one seems to know. Apparently he wasn’t invited to the wedding, though one of the guests thought Tess might be acquainted with him.” She glanced up at the clock. “In fact, I think I’ll pop upstairs and have a word with the Winterhalters before George gets here. I want to warn them. It’s quite possible they might know the gentleman.”
“What happened to him?” Violet asked, as Elizabeth headed for the door.
“Someone stabbed him in the chest with the missing knife that was supposed to cut the wedding cake.”
“Oh, my. I imagine Rita was put out about that.”
“She wasn’t too pleased, to say the least.” Elizabeth paused at the door. “When George arrives, see if you can keep him busy down here until I get back.”
Without waiting for her housekeeper to answer, she let the door close behind her and headed for the stairs.
She found Rodney and Daphne seated in the library, each immersed in a book. They had both changed out of their wedding finery-Rodney now in a dark red velvet smoking jacket and Daphne wearing a fetching housecoat covered in pink and white embroidery.
They looked up as she entered, and Rodney immediately sprang to his feet.
“Oh, there you are, Lady Elizabeth!” he exclaimed, his voice overly loud and jovial. “Our apologies for leaving the festivities so abruptly. The little woman had a headache, didn’t you, precious.”
Daphne gave him a nervous smile. “Did I? Yes, of course. I did.”
The infuriated look he gave her made Elizabeth uncomfortable. Obviously, the Winterhalters were having some kind of disagreement. “I’m afraid I have some bad news for you,” she said, coming straight to the point. “It concerns a gentleman guest at the wedding. A rather tall chap wearing a dark gray suit and light blue silk tie. Was he a friend of yours?”
Daphne stared blankly at her, while Rodney’s eyes narrowed. “If you are referring to Brian Sutcliffe, he’s nothing but a two-timing fortune hunter. He barged into the wedding uninvited and made a general nuisance of himself. The man is a rake of the worst kind.”
“Rodney is absolutely right,” Daphne agreed fervently. “The man is a cheat and a liar. I can’t imagine what my daughter sees in that charlatan.”
“In that case,” Elizabeth said quietly, “I imagine neither of you will be too upset to hear that someone killed him this afternoon.”
Rodney Winterhalter met her gaze without so much as a blink. “Is that so.”
Somewhat taken aback by his indifference, Elizabeth was lost for words.
Then, in the silence that followed, Daphne gasped, then whispered fearfully, “My God, Rodney. What have you done?”
Elizabeth watched Rodney’s face as he stared at his wife, his eyes burning with fury. “What the devil are you talking about, Daphne? I didn’t stick a knife in the blasted chap, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Daphne looked as if she didn’t believe him, and Elizabeth said hastily, “I think I should warn you that police constable Dalrymple is on his way up here to question Tess. By all accounts, she was one of the last people to see the gentleman alive.”
A worried expression clouded Daphne’s face. “Oh, dear. I do hope-” She broke off, and stared helplessly at her husband.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Rodney snapped. He turned to Elizabeth. “I’m quite sure my daughter has nothing to do with this. Unfortunately she was quite infatuated with the rotter.”
“I don’t-” Daphne was interrupted by the sound of a sharp tap on the door.
At Elizabeth’s command to enter, the door opened and Sadie poked her head into the space. “Pardon me, your ladyship,” she said, flicking a glance at the Winterhalters, “but Violet said to tell you P. C. Dalrymple is in the kitchen.”
“Thank you, Sadie.”
The girl nodded and started to withdraw her head when Rodney asked sharply, “Did Tess come home with you?”
Sadie opened the door wider. “Yes, sir. My friend gave her a ride home in his Jeep a while ago.”
Daphne rolled her eyes in horror, but Rodney merely nodded. “Be so kind as to tell her I wish to speak to her. Now.”
“Yes, sir, but I think she’s gone to bed.”
“Then get her out of bed,” Rodney ordered harshly. “I want to speak to her before the constable gets to her.”
Sadie’s eyebrows rose and her eyes widened as she looked at Elizabeth.
“It’s all right, Sadie,” Elizabeth said quietly. “Do as Mr. Winterhalter asks at once.”
“Yes, m’m.” Sadie’s face disappeared and the door closed with a quiet snap.
Daphne folded her arms across her chest and started rocking back and forth, while Rodney paced across the soft carpet to the bookshelves and back again.
“You don’t mind if I stay?” Elizabeth murmured, as she took a seat across from Daphne.
Daphne shook her head, while Rodney muttered, “Of course not, your ladyship. We have nothing to hide.”
Elizabeth attempted to make light conversation, but her efforts were largely ignored, and she was quite relieved when the door opened and Tess, wearing a yellow silk robe tied with a black silk sash, wandered into the room.
“You got me out of bed,” she said, as her parents turned to face her. “Couldn’t it wait until tomorrow?”
“We have something to tell you,” Rodney began, but Daphne sprang to her feet.
“Let me tell her,” she said, the words more a command than a request.
Rodney turned away with an impatient flick of his head. “Very well. But be quick about it. That police chap will be here any second.”
Tess sent a startled look his way. “Police?”
“Tess…” Daphne approached her daughter and seized both her hands. “You must be brave, darling. It’s about Brian.”
Tess’s face froze. “Brian? What about him?”
“I’m afraid-” Daphne’s voice broke and she dipped her head.
Rodney grunted in exasperation, then said bluntly, “He’s dead.”
Daphne’s cry of protest was drowned out by Tess’s shocked howl. “No! I don’t believe you. He can’t be dead. I just saw him this afternoon. How can he be dead?”
“Someone stabbed him with a knife.” Rodney strode over to the young girl, who had begun to sob, and pushed his wife aside. Grasping Tess’s shoulders, he said more quietly, “I know this must be a shock to you, child, but you must pull yourself together. The constable wants to have a word with you, and you need your wits about you.”
