"I won't believe it," she said firmly. "I have known Peter all my life, and what you suggest is monstrous. There have been strange coincidences, I admit, but——"
"Strange," Jasper broke in with a sneer. "You are right there, little one. It is a strange coincidence, shall we say, that has made Peter Blakeney the new owner of this house."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"That Peter Blakeney has bought an option on the château and property of Kis-Imre from the Romanian Government."
Rosemary frowned in bewilderment.
"Jasper," she said, "will you please tell me clearly what you do mean?"
"I have told you, dear heart, as clearly as I could. But perhaps you have not realised that if Philip and Anna are brought before a military tribunal and convicted of treason against the States, these estates, together with the château, will be confiscated. It will then be sold for the benefit of the State and the owners will be expelled from the country."
Rosemary felt herself shuddering. "No," she said slowly; "I had not realised that."
"I am afraid that it is so. And in the meanwhile, some who are in the know have already cast covetous eyes on this admirable château and beautiful park and garden, and our friend Naniescu has hit on the happy idea of selling the option of them to the highest bidder. And it seems that Peter Blakeney was the lucky man. He has paid a few hundred thousand leis for a first option on Kis-Imre and its dependencies, should it come in the market after the conviction and presumably the death of his cousins for treason against the State."
"Who told you all that?" Rosemary queried coldly.