“That’s all right, Mrs. Plant,” said Roger soothingly, breaking in upon her painful utterances. “The police wouldn’t take them in any case, I expect; and you can easily identify what is yours. They’ll be safe enough, I assure you.”
A little colour was coming slowly back into her cheeks and her breathing was becoming less rapid.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Sheringham,” she said more easily. “It was absurd of me, no doubt, but they’re rather valuable, and I had a sudden panic about them. Of course I ought not to have tried to take them myself. I can’t think what I can have been doing!” She laughed nervously. “Really, I’m positively ashamed of myself. You won’t give me away for being so foolish, will you?”
There was a note of urgent appeal in the last sentence that belied the lightness of the words.
Roger smiled reassuringly. “Of course not,” he said promptly. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Oh, thank you so much. I know I can rely on you. And on Mr. Grierson, too. Well, I suppose I’d better run away before anyone else catches me here.”
She made her way out of the room, carefully averting her eyes from the chair by the writing table.
Roger turned to Alec and whistled softly.
“Now what did she want to lie like that for?” he asked with raised eyebrows.
“Do you think she was lying?” Alec asked in puzzled tones. “I should have said that Mrs. Plant was as straight as they make ’em.”