“Why have you left your post?” snapped Fox.
“What is it, Martin?” asked Alleyn.
“I beg your pardon, sir, but I thought I’d better come. The Dowager Lady Wutherwood’s in the passage and wants to see you. So I thought I’d better come.”
“And as soon as you turned your back,” said Fox angrily, “they got together and agreed on the tale they’d tell.”
“They’ve already done that, sir.”
“ What!”
“While you were there?” asked Alleyn.
“Yes, sir. They spoke in French, sir. I’ve got it down in shorthand. They speak quite good French, with the exception of Lady Patricia. I thought that before proceeding, you’d like to see what they said.”
“Here!” said Fox. “Do you understand French?”
“Yes, Mr. Fox. I lived at Concarneau until I was fifteen. I didn’t know, Mr. Alleyn, what the ruling was about listening-in under those circumstances. I don’t remember anything in the regulations as to whether it could be put in as evidence. Seeing they didn’t know.”