A Death in the Loch by Caroline Dunford Read Free Book Online Page B

they’d called in the priest. She lives down in the village. Scott, that’s the footman, is the apple of his mother’s eye, so he’s away to her side.’
    ‘We’re going to be very short staffed,’ I said.
    ‘I rather think he told Mr McLeod he was going rather than asked.’
    I shook my head. ‘Of course he should have gone, but with Merry – out of the picture for now – at least, there’s only the three of us plus Jock.’
    Jock banged down a pot and turned and shot something at me that I couldn’t make head nor tail of.
    Susan gave a faint smile. ‘He says there’s no enough money in the world that could get him working above stairs among the loons.’
    I nodded at Jock. ‘Believe me,’ I said earnestly, ‘I completely understand.’
    Susan gave me a shrewd look. ‘There’s something funny going on here, isn’t there? It’s bad enough four of ʼem gave their names as Smith even though they’re not related…’
    ‘They’re all called Smith?’
    Susan nodded, ‘Except yon high hied’jin who told me to call him sir.’
    ‘Blimey,’ I said borrowing from Merry’s vocabulary. ‘That must be the man from the ministry.’
    ‘Mr Ministry, is it?’ said Susan, who was deep in her own thoughts and not really listening to me. ‘There’s some kind of shady plot afoot, isn’t there? Not that I care. The worst thing to my mind is Mr Stapleford’s beard. Fair gives me the shivers that.’
    ‘I know,’ I said sadly, ‘that a handsome man could make himself look so badly.’
    ‘They’ll be a woman behind it,’ said Susan. ‘You mark my words.’
    At this point I made my exit. I wanted time to talk with Bertram and Merry. I also wanted to be out of range for any more of Susan’s questions.
    Merry was defiant, but scared. At Susan’s request she was staying in her room until Rory made his decision. I tried to reassure that her long history with the Stapleford family would stand her in good stead, but she argued every one of my points down as if was determined to head into tragedy. It was clear she was far too prickly to be otherwise consoled, so I would be better leaving her be.
    I was literally wondering where to put myself, not in my room (with Merry), not in the kitchen (with questioning Susan) and not in any part of the house where I might run into the guests. I had come down to considering the stables, when I heard a ‘psst’. Bertram’s face appeared round the door of the small library. I immediately pushed the door open. Bertram staggered back.
    ‘Careful Euphemia,’ he said, ‘one of us ending up arse over apex is enough for today.’ He gave a broad grin.
    ‘It’s not funny,’ I snapped. ‘The wretched woman wants Merry sacked.’
    ‘Well, that’s not going to happen,’ said Bertram to my great relief. ‘Girl’s a tart.’ He gave his beard a frantic scratch. ‘Saving your presence.’
    ‘Not quite the words I would have used,’ I said, helping myself to a small sherry and pouring him a whisky. ‘But I agree with the sentiment.’
    Bertram boggled at me with the glasses for a moment then shut the door. ‘I’m used to acting as a companion now,’ I said stiffly, ‘not as a servant.’
    ‘Well, yes, I know, but we’re undercover and all that.’
    I sat down in one of the library’s wing-backed chairs and sipped my sherry. ‘Have you any idea what is going on?’
    ‘They’ve got a lot of maps of Scotland,’ said Bertram. ‘I caught one of them poring over a set in here just before luncheon. He scrunched them all up at once when he heard the door open. Terrible way to treat ʼem. Mind you when he saw it was me he seemed to relax a bit.’
    ‘And they’re all called Smith?’
    ‘Incredible co-incidence,’ agreed Bertram.
    I gave him a long look.
    Bertram sank down in the other chair. ‘You mean they’re using aliases?’
    Now, I don’t want you to think for a moment that Bertram is deficient in cerebral material, but while it once seemed I was the less