“What are you doing here, may I ask?” she inquired.
“We were sleeping,” Penny smiled.
“I mean, what are you doing in this house?”
“It seems to belong to Rosanna,” Penny said evenly. “She inherited it from her uncle, Jacob Winters.”
Mrs. Leeds’ expression was difficult to interpret. For an instant she looked stunned. But she quickly recovered her poise.
“Nonsense!” she said shortly. “This house belongs to me. Jacob Winters was my cousin. He died recently, leaving me everything. I have a letter and key to prove it. Naturally I couldn’t use my key to get into the house for you had it bolted from the inside.”
Mrs. Leeds looked accusingly at the girls as she offered the letter to Penny. A casual glance assured the girls that it was identical with the one Rosanna had received and lost.
“It’s too late to go into this tonight,” Penny protested. “Let’s discuss it in the morning.”
“Very well,” Mrs. Leeds agreed coldly. “Where are we to sleep?”
Penny informed her that there were several empty bedrooms upstairs. She led the way to the upper floor. Opening the door of one of the rooms, she was surprised to see that it was not as well furnished as the bedroom which she and Rosanna shared. Mrs. Leeds uttered an exclamation of disgust.