Any stranger entering the room would certainly have taken her for the widow, and not Fay. She wore a long, trailing robe of some dead-black material, without any ornament at all, and carried a handkerchief with a dark black hem. Where she could have found such a thing. in a moment's notice Dinah could not imagine. She was forced to the conclusion that either it must belong to the faithful Concetta, or the inky border had been hastily stitched to an ordinary white handkerchief.
"I am quite upset," she announced. "You can feel how my heart is beating, altogether too fast. I have seen that they have taken away the corpse of Geoffrey's papa. It has made me feel extremely sad, quite overcome. And I must tell you that it is very painful to me that the policemen who stand in the hall should stare at me as though they think it is I who have stabbed Geoffrey's papa. I have told the fat policeman that he cannot at all prove that I am an assassin, but he is, I think, a fool, since he will only open his mouth like a fish, and not answer me when I speak."
Her auditors were spared the necessity of replying to this address by the entrance of Finch, who came to tell Fay that the Chief Constable would like to speak to her and to Geoffrey.
They both went out, Geoffrey saying: "I wonder what he wants to see me for? I suppose, though I hadn't thought of it before, that now Father's dead I'm the head of the family. I suppose that's it."
The Chief Constable was looking more worried than ever. The Superintendent, who was standing beside him, with his thumbs tucked into a belt of quite enormous span, had a profoundly dissatisfied look in his eye, and stared hard at a painting over the fireplace in a glassy way that gave the impression that he had entirely dissociated himself from any subsequent proceedings.
The sight of Fay made Major Grierson dab his nose a great many times in succession. He said: "Ah, Lady Billington-Smith! Quite. Er — a very bad business. I assure you I — er —- feel for you most deeply. Now, Mr — er — Billington-Smith, we have come to the conclusion, the Superintendent and I — yes, yes, Superintendent! We have come to the conclusion, as I say, that this is a case where it will be — er — advisable to call in Scotland Yard."
"Scotland Yard?" repeated Geoffrey. "Do you mean we've got to have detectives down? But I say — I mean, is that absolutely necessary?"
The Superintendent brought his aloof gaze down from The Fighting Temeraire, and bent it sternly upon Geoffrey.
Major Grierson's manner became still more impersonal. "I should not, Mr. Billington-Smith, do anything that was in my — er — opinion unnecessary. Now you will understand, of course, that no one must enter the room where the — er — in short, the study. Quite. The Superintendent will leave two of his men — er — on duty. I understand that you have guests in the house. None of these must leave until after the — er — visit of the Yard Inspector. Yes, Superintendent, what is it?"
"In the matter of Mrs. Twining, sir," said the Superintendent woodenly, "who, if agreeable, desires to return to Blessington House, which same being her residence in the vicinity."