Free A Death in the Loch by Caroline Dunford Page B

she had simply lured him to her room on some pretence and he had made his excuses and left? Why was I so eager to condemn the man I had once loved. Perhaps because I …
    ‘Have you heard a word I’ve said?’ Susan was standing, hands on hips, in front of me. I knew this was not a happy stance. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said contritely. ‘I didn’t sleep well last night.’
    ‘Seems like you’re not the only one. Mr McLeod has just been telling me that Miss Flowers is yet to make an appearance at the breakfast table.’
    Breakfast being of the normal buffet kind, my presence was not required in the morning room for this repast. ‘Oh dear,’ I said blankly, wondering what on earth this had to do with me.
    ‘Well, I have orders to take the ‘lady’ [8] breakfast in her bedroom.’
    ‘But she is neither ill nor married!’ I exclaimed, these being the only two possible reasons for providing a lady with breakfast in bed. Indeed, I believe the thought of having breakfast in bed was urging Richenda to make her wedding plans come to fruition at a barely decent interval since her fiancé’s mother’s demise.
    ‘I know,’ said Susan. ‘And I’m damn well not taking it up. You’ll have to do it.’
    ‘I can’t!’ I stammered.
    ‘Well, you will bloody well have to!’ snapped Susan, ‘She’ll have a fit if I send Merry up and I damn well can’t send Mr McLeod into her bedroom!’
    I wished for the ground to open up and swallow me.
    As ever, my dearest wishes remained unanswered and a few short minutes later I was climbing the servants’ stairs, this time, to Miss Flowers’s bedroom. Susan had told me which room and I was fairly sure, despite my confused state and the dim lighting, it was the one I had seen Rory come out of. Once outside the door, I noticed a few tell-tale clods of mud from the plant pot. I’d have to come back up later and clear them up before anyone saw.
    I balanced the tray on one hand and knocked. There was no answer. I knocked again a little louder. Still no answer. I considered putting the tray down in the corridor and making a bolt for it. But then I began feeling that something was wrong. I cannot say why. But in that moment I remembered the mystic, Madam Arcana, saying I had seen so many deaths that the dead were attracted to me. It was an unfortunate memory to recollect at that time. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and icy fingers played along my spine.
    ‘Miss Flowers,’ I said loudly, ‘breakfast!’ I realised I sounded rather like someone calling a dog in for dinner, but I would have been only too pleased if she opened the door to berate me.
    She didn’t.
    I set the tray down on the floor in the hallway. I was thinking that if a sight – I couldn’t even form the words in my mind to summon my suspicions to the forefront of my consciousness – it would be better not to have a lot of breakables in my hands.
    I tried the door handle. The door was not locked. I opened it and went in. The curtains were still drawn and the room was in darkness. But I knew without a shadow of a doubt that no other living soul occupied that room. I rushed for the curtains, knocking a small chair out of my way in my hurry. I threw back the curtains and unexpected Scotch sunlight streamed in across the room. The bed was empty. More than empty – it had not been slept in. I was alone in the room.
     
     
     
    [8] The amount of vitriol Susan encompassed in this one word was masterly.

Chapter Twelve:
    The hunt
    Bearing in mind my dual role, I quickly checked the wardrobe and dressing table drawers. They were full of female apparel, so whatever was happening, the woman hadn’t absconded with secret papers or the like.
    I took the breakfast tray back down with me on the grounds I’d have to fetch it at some point anyway.
    ‘My food not good enough?’ growled Jock when I re-entered the kitchen.
    ‘She wasn’t there,’ I said.
    ‘What?’ asked Susan.
    ‘No sign of her,’ I sighed and