Part 3 (2/2)

*Aye, well, it would be with your brains all shook up. But you're talking fine and yer're alert and they're all good signs.'

Merry burst into the room, waving a wet rag around. *Oh no! Oh, Euphemia! Are you dead?'

Even Rory chuckled slightly at this. *Give that here, la.s.s,' he said and tenderly placed the cloth on my head. The ache immediately subsided.

*Oh, thank you,' I said.

*You'll need to get a bucket with ice and keep rewetting the cloth until at least the doctor has seen her,' said Rory.

*Of course,' said Merry. *You poor thing. What did the maniac do to you?'

*He knocked me down,' I said. *We don't know if he was a maniac.'

*Who else could it be?'

*Mr Bertram is worried it might be our footman, Merrit. Though he came with excellent references.'

Merry shook her head vehemently. *It weren't him.'

*You're very sure,' said Rory curiously.

*We were walking.'

*Outside?' I asked.

*It's a full moon,' said Merry defensively. *I got into views when we were in the Highlands. I offered to show the man some, seeing how he was new to the area and a Londoner like myself. We walked to the gates and back.'

*At night?' Rory frowned.

*It was proper,' said Merry with dignity. *We were both wearing our coats and everything.'

*Did you see the man?' Rory asked. *The maniac?'

*No,' said Merry. *Should we have done?'

*If yous were out walking at the time of the attack and the maniac didn't sprout wings and fly over the wall, then, yes, you should have seen him. There's no other way out of the park.'

*There must be,' I said. *Loose rocks, a high branch, some other way out.'

*We've got a new groundskeeper and he's very good,' said Rory.

*But the gates would have been locked,' I said.

*Wrought iron gates aren't that difficult to climb,' said Rory.

Merry grinned. *Is that a confession of a misspent youth, Mr McLeod?' She registered the expressions on both our faces. *I didn't mean to be rude,' she said. *I was trying to lighten things a bit. The pair of you look like you've seen death in the flesh.'

*Don't you see, Merry,' I said gently. *If he didn't leave the grounds then he's still here. It could even be someone in the house.'

*Oh lor',' said Merry. *Are they calling in the police?'

Rory nodded.

*Well, Lord Stapleford's going to have some explaining to do then,' said Merry.

*What do you mean?' I asked.

*Didn't you hear?' said Merry. *He and Mrs Wilson were having the devil of an argument after that spooking session. Going at it hammer and tongs, they were.'

3 At four foot eight she always boasted that, as a young girl, she could depress the attentions of any suitor with a single look and that she had once made a young duke cry. Annoyingly she has always refused to tell me which duke.

Chapter Three:.

The Return of Sergeant Davies

*You heard Lord Stapleford arguing with Mrs Wilson?' I repeated blankly.

*She was screeching her head off,' said Merry. *I never heard nothing like it.'

*Not, of course, that you heard much,' said Rory. *Just pa.s.sing as you were.'

*Unless, of course, your bootlaces had come undone?' I suggested.

*Now you come to mention it I think that did happen.'

*Merry! Miss St John needs her rest and not a lot of silly nonsense.'

*Go on, Merry, it'll take my mind off my aching head.'

Merry looked from one of us to the other. Her emotions played so clearly across her open face I had to stifle a giggle. Should she indulge her love of gossip or please her new boss? Gossip won out, as I knew it would. *She was complaining about the seance. Said how his father would never have exposed her to such a thing.'

*That's hardly surprising,' said Rory. *It was an unpleasant thing to force any of the servants to do.'

*But she was really angry. Mrs Wilson doesn't get angry. Not with those above stairs a and there's more ...'

Merry paused, savouring her moment. *She accused Lord Stapleford of pus.h.i.+ng the gla.s.s.'

*What?' snapped Rory. *Are you sure?'

*She believes in ghosts?' I asked, confused. *Did she think he was trying to tell us something?' My heart hammered at the thought of all the hidden secrets and buried bodies that the late Lord Stapleford had good cause to know of. *Did she think he'd come back to tell the truth?'4 *You must have hit your head awful hard,' said Merry. *The only spirits Mrs W believes in come out of a bottle. No, you ninny, she said Lord Stapleford had exposed her to cruel and drunken antics and caused her pain beyond his meagre comprehension. What do you think she meant by that?'

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