Gertie sighed. “He should never have married me, knowing he was still married to his real wife. He should have been honest from the start.”

“I think he felt obligated once he found out you were having his baby. He wanted to do the right thing.”

“The right thing? By me or by his real wife?” Gertie rose, her face hard with bitterness. “He did neither one of us a favor. It was stupid of me to get in the family way before I was married, I admit that. But that didn’t give him the right to pretend he was free to marry me when he had a wife sitting at home, did it. We went through that whole wedding in the church and everything. He was a cheat and a liar, and bloody dangerous at that. I’m not really sorry he’s dead. I don’t care if that does make me a wicked woman. I’m bleeding glad to be rid of him.”

She rushed to the door, paused, and with a sob in her voice, muttered, “Excuse me, m’m. I must get back to the dining room.” Without waiting for permission she dropped a stiff curtsey and flew outside.

The door closed sharply behind her and Cecily winced. She hadn’t handled that well at all, but something about Gertie’s attitude worried her.

It was no secret to anyone that the volatile housemaid had threatened to kill Ian on more than one occasion. Not that she didn’t have good cause to hate the man. Some people, however, might get the notion that Gertie had something to do with Ian’s untimely death.

Cecily shook her head, impatient with herself. It was an accident, nothing more. She was worrying about nothing. She had sent for Kevin Prestwick and he would be there soon. He would make it official, setting her fears to rest. She would just have to wait until then.

Gertie’s headlong rush down the corridor almost ended in disaster as she rounded the corner. Since breakfast was still being served she hadn’t expected to encounter anyone on her mad dash back to the dining room, but just as she reached the corner a man stepped out in front of her, then leapt back as she charged right into him.