“Oh, very well,” snapped Harry. Then he relented. “I know you are new to all this. I will get Becket to spend a day with you, Tom, and he will instruct you as to what to do. Now, help me on with my clothes!”
♦
Roger swung Rose round in the steps of a waltz. He was feeling elated. He had received permission from Rose’s parents to pay his addresses to her. Nestling in a little pouch attached to his belt was an engagement ring.
After the waltz had finished and the guests were beginning to move towards the supper room, he whispered, “Come out onto the terrace with me. I have a present for you.”
Rose hesitated. But he had said nothing about a proposal. “Very well,” she said, “but just for a few moments. I am quite hungry. An unfashionable thing to say.”
They walked to the long French windows at the end of the ballroom and he ushered her out onto the terrace.
To Rose’s alarm, Roger got down on one knee and took her hand. “Rose,” he said earnestly, gazing up into her eyes. “I –”
The terrace windows opened and a masked devil stepped out. Roger looked round in irritation. To Roger’s horror, a gun appeared in the devil’s hand and a female voice said. “Get up, you, and the pair of you walk down into the garden.”
Roger got to his feet and stared in terror at the masked woman. “Is this a joke?”
“No joke. Move.”
For a moment Roger stood paralysed with fear and then his bladder gave.
“Move,” ordered the woman.
They walked down the steps into the darkness of the garden.
When they were deep in the darkness, the woman removed her mask. In the dim moonlight filtering through the trees, Rose recognized the maid who had been dragged out of the tea party.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
“Does it matter?” jeered Thomson. “Well, I’ll tell you. You and that captain of yours have ruined all my plans. I kill you, he suffers. You flounce around London society without a care in the world. Now you know what it is like to be frightened.”
“I’ve got nothing to do with this,” gasped Roger. “This is between you and Rose.”
“What a coward you are! What do you think of your precious beau now, Lady Rose? Cringing and pissing himself. Well, he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Thomson,” said Rose. “You were Dolores Duval’s lady’s maid. You murdered her.”
“Why not? The trollop would have come to a bad end anyway.”
♦
Harry had been scouring the supper room for Rose. At last, a debutante said with a giggle, “If you are looking for Lady Rose, she went out on the terrace with Mr Sinclair.”
Harry ran to the French windows and let himself out. He stared around.
Then, from down in the garden, he heard a man’s voice pleading, “Please let me go.”
Harry seized his stick and moved silently and quickly down into the garden.
“It’s no use begging,” he heard a cold female voice say. “You’re first.”
Roger fell to his knees and burst into tears.
Rose gazed coldly at Thomson. If she had to die, then she would do so with dignity.
Thomson raised the gun. Then an arm brandishing a stick with a gold knob came out of the darkness and struck her a vicious blow on the head. Thomson collapsed on the ground.
Harry gathered Rose in his arms. “There now, my sweet,” he said. “It’s all over now.”
“She confessed to the murder,” said Rose. “I heard her. Roger heard her.”
“You!” Harry barked at Roger. “Get up off the ground and go into the house and telephone the police.”
“I can’t,” wailed Roger. “I… I’ve wet myself.”
Harry looked at him in disgust. “Come, Rose. You will need to do it while I guard this creature. You, Mr Sinclair, will need to wait for questioning. Here, take my cloak.”
Rose hurried off into the house. She drew aside her hostess and told her the police were to be called immediately. There was a murderer in the garden. The alarmed hostess ordered footmen to go into the garden and then called the police.
“There is no need to alarm your guests,” said Rose. “If you could find us a quiet room.”
She was led to a study to await Harry.
Rose sank down into a chair and began to cry. She was crying not only over the fear of having nearly been killed but also because the dream of Roger had been exploded.
When she heard footsteps approaching the study, she hurriedly dried her eyes. Roger came in wearing Harry’s cloak. He slumped down in another chair and buried his head in his hands. Then Harry came in followed by footmen carrying the unconscious Thomson. Harry ordered them to lay her on the floor and then knelt down beside her.
He raised her head and looked at Rose. “She’s still alive. I would not have liked the complications if I had killed her.” He turned to one of the footmen. “Fetch brandy.”
He pulled a chair up next to Rose and held her hand. “Why did you go out on the terrace?”
“Roger said he had a present for me. He said it would only take a few minutes.”
“And what was the present?”
“I don’t know. That awful Thomson creature appeared with a gun and ordered us down into the garden.”
Harry surveyed Roger with contempt. “You may as well give it to her now.”
“I must have lost it,” mumbled Roger, wondering whether it might be possible to die of shame. During his many travel adventures, he had always been surrounded by a protective retinue of servants and had never before been in any danger at all. All he wanted to do now was to get as far away from Rose as possible.
“Here’s the brandy. Pour Lady Rose a stiff measure,” Harry ordered.
The door opened and Kerridge walked in with Inspector Judd and six policemen.
“That’s her,” said Harry. “Get her off to the prison hospital. I want her well enough to stand trial.” Rose let out a little sigh of relief as the lady’s maid was carried out.
“Now Lady Rose,” said Kerridge, “we’ll need to take a statement from you.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” asked Harry.
“It’s all right,” said Rose. “I’ll do it now.”
Roger trembled. She would tell them how he had pleaded for his own life. But Rose, in a flat little voice, merely described how they had both been forced to walk down into the garden and how Thomson had confessed to the murder.
Roger corroborated her statement and then pleaded to be allowed to go home. He left the room without saying goodnight to Rose or offering to return Harry’s cloak.
♦
Lady Polly was standing by the drawing room window. Her husband was sleeping in an armchair behind her. “What can be keeping her?” fretted Lady Polly. “It’s nearly dawn.”
A gentle snore was the only reply she got.
And then a car stopped outside. To her alarm, Lady Polly saw Harry helping Rose out.
“Wake up!” she screeched at her husband. “She’s arrived! She’s with that terrible Cathcart. Oh, what went wrong? Roger was supposed to propose to her.”
Rose had not taken a house key with her. Lady Polly ran down the stairs as she heard the loud sound of the door knocker. She flung open the door and howled, “What is the meaning of this?”
“We will tell you all,” said Rose. “Something terrible happened.”
In the drawing room, where her father was now awake, Rose told them about the happenings of the evening.
“This is all your fault,” said the earl, glaring at Harry.
“How can it be?” asked Rose. “He saved my life. Roger was no help. He would have run away if she had let him. All he did was wet himself.”
“You must not say such things,” exclaimed Lady Polly. “Captain Cathcart has led you into danger.”
“It all started when I went to see Dolores and found her dead,” said Rose. “If I had not been so stupid as to go and see her, then I would never have been involved or in danger. You must thank Captain Cathcart for saving my life and then let me go to bed. I am weary.”