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“It’s okay,” I said encouragingly. “I won’t tell anyone.”

She must have believed me because she said, “I went to Maitland House. They wouldn’t let me see Justina, but as I was walking home, I heard this odd kind of singing. I followed the sound and I saw her. Dancing in the wood. Stark naked.”

So McEwen hadn’t been lying about that.

“I went up to her,” said Bess. “I asked her straight out if she was in love with Angus. You know what she said?”

I couldn’t imagine. So I kept silent and waited for Bess to go on.

She swallowed a sob and said, “Justina asked me who Angus was. I said, ‘Angus McEwen.’ Justina looked at me as if I was raving mad and said, “I’ve never heard of him.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Bess. “Angus was in love with her and she didn’t even know he existed. That’s when I knew there was no chance for Angus and me. I broke up with him. He was surprised but he didn’t argue.” Bess slammed a pan onto the bench. “He dinnae even try to change my mind.”

“He didn’t deserve you,” I said sympathetically.

“No he bloody dinnae.” She started to sob again.

I poured her a glass of water. As she drank it her sobs subsided.

When she had regained control I prompted gently, “You haven’t finished the story.”

She shrugged. “There’s nothing more to tell. I left Justina in the wood and came back to the village.”

“What was your impression of Lady Justina?”

“She was just a girl. Nothing special. Och, she was bonnie enough, but I wouldn’t have picked her out of a crowd.”

That description didn’t match the beautiful woman I had met, but I had to make allowances for Bess’s quite natural jealousy.

“You know,” Bess mused, “on second thought, there was something different about Justina. But it was odd rather than special.”

I waited for her to go on.

“All the time I was speaking to her,” said Bess, “she was stark naked. Most people would have covered themselves but she dinnae seem embarrassed at all.”

“Maybe she was used to taking her clothes off,” I suggested, thinking about her penchant for dancing naked in the wood. But Bess had another interpretation.

“You mean like a nude model or a porn star?”

“Maybe.” It didn’t seem likely but I supposed it was possible.

“I’d like to believe that,” said Bess, clearly relishing anything that would blemish Lady Justina’s reputation. “But there was no bravado about her nudity. It was more like—like she was used to visiting nudist camps. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes, I think so.”

She picked up two stacks of glasses. “I have to get back to work.”

“Don’t go yet. You’ve got some…” Gently I wiped the smudges of mascara off her cheeks. “There that’s better.”

“Thanks. Maybe you’re not as bad as I first thought.”

Gee thanks.

I decided to risk one more question. “What do you know about McEwen’s relationship with Phillips?”

“The butler at Maitland House? Angus hated him. He said Phillips looked down on him. I think it was a class thing. Butlers like Phillips can be such snobs.”

“Did Phillips dislike McEwen?”

She shrugged. “If he did, it wouldn’t have been personal.” Suddenly her expression changed. “You dinnae think Phillips could’ve killed him?”

“Did he have a motive?”

“Not that I know of,” she said.

“Then I doubt Phillips was involved.”

“I really have to get back to work.” Bess headed for the bar.

I did likewise and followed her. We left them for Douglas to put away. While Bess returned to the kitchen, I watched Douglas write the day’s menu on a blackboard.

He gave me a quick glance over his shoulder and kept writing. “Did you have a nice night with Casper?” His sarcasm wasn’t lost on me.

I didn’t bother telling him Casper and I’d had separate rooms. Instead I said, “We spent most of the night searching Maitland House.”

His curiosity overcame any other emotions he was harboring. “Find anything interesting?”

“Nothing that helps the case. But there’s something not right about Sir Alastair’s relationship with his wife. I wouldn’t be surprised if he beats her.”

Douglas