Snobbery With Violence - M. C. Beaton [51]
“Sir,” said Becket, raising his voice to be heard over the noise of the engine, “there is someone on the castle roof. Oh, my God, they’ve fallen.”
“Where, what?”
“Back of the castle, sir.”
Harry drove as hard as he could, over the drawbridge, under the portcullis, through the courtyard and sped along the tradesman’s route which ended at the side of the castle.
He switched off the engine, jumped out, and started to run to the back. There was a figure struggling in the moat.
“It’s Lady Rose,” gasped Becket.
Harry stripped off his long overcoat, his jacket, hat and motoring goggles, tore off his shoes, and dived in.
When he surfaced it was to find that Rose had gone down again under the icy waters.
He dived and groped around until his hands grasped clothing. He pulled the body to the surface and found himself staring at the bloated features of an unrecognizable dead female.
There came a faint, “Help!” as Rose surfaced again. He abandoned the horror he had found, and swam to Rose and put his arms around her.
“Relax,” he ordered. “And let me tow you in.”
He swam with Rose to the bank and Becket pulled her clear. “Get Lady Rose back to the castle, and then come back here with some help. There’s a dead body down there.”
Rose was shivering and spluttering. Then she turned away and vomited. “That’ll get some of that filthy water out of you,” said Becket. He tenderly wrapped her in his master’s coat and assisted her to the car.
He drove quickly round to the front of the castle. The butler appeared on the doorstep.
“Get Lady Rose’s maid,” said Becket, “and send for the doctor.”
The butler went back into the hall and shouted orders. The marquess appeared. “What’s going on?”
“You must get the police immediately, my lord,” said Becket.
“Oh, Daisy, help your mistress to her room. She fell in the moat from the roof.”
“Why should I get the police?” demanded the marquess testily. “There is no need to get the police because one of my guests was playing on the roof and fell over.”
“My lord, Captain Cathcart dived in to rescue Lady Rose and found a dead body in the moat.”
“Where? What?”
“At the back of the castle.”
The marquess strode out of the castle followed by his butler, two footmen, and the hall-boy.
When he reached the back of the castle, it was to find more staff there, who had seen the drama from the windows, clustered around the captain.
Harry was kneeling by a body laid out on the grass at the edge of the moat. He looked up and saw the marquess. “You had better call the police,” said Harry.
“Who is she?” asked the marquess.
“I fear it is Colette, the missing lady’s maid.”
“Can’t this be kept quiet?”
“I am afraid not. I do not know what Lady Rose was doing on the roof, but it looks as if there might have been one attempted murder and one murder of this maid.”
Rose had told Daisy the whole story of how she came to be on the roof. Changed into a night-dress, she lay in bed surrounded by hot-water bottles.
“Shh, now,” said Daisy. “The doctor will be here soon.” “But there is something I want you to do for me, Daisy. It’s urgent. You remember how to use a telephone?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Try to get into Lord Hedley’s study and phone the Daily Mail and tell them about me and about the body in the moat.”
“Yes, I’ll do that. But why?”
“I don’t want this hushed up in any way. I don’t want Hedley to wriggle out of this one. And phone my parents. I want you to tell them I am all right. I don’t want them to read about it in the newspapers first.”
Daisy left and Rose leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. At least there would have to be a proper investigation now. She would show them the note ...
She opened her eyes and sat up. The note? Where had she left it? Then she remembered she had left it on her dressing-table. She got out of bed and went to the dressing-table but there was no sign of any note.
Rose got slowly