"Sangatte!" I repeated in amazement. "What on earth has Sangatte got to do with this business?"
Mercia looked troubled. "I do not know, but I fear that your cousin must have told him something. They were speaking of him last night; they—they—" she faltered.
"Yes, Mercia?" I said.
I felt her clasp tighten. "I think that he would help them, if they should give me to him. I think that was why Guarez would not let Rojas kill me."
It took an instant for the blackguardly scheme to sink into my mind. Then, at a very opportune moment, Billy blew the horn, drowning the comment that forced itself from my lips.
"If that's the case," I said slowly, "I must have a little talk with Sangatte."
There was a short silence.
"Mercia," I went on, "why do you call yourself Miss de Rosen? I suppose Tregattock knows who you are. He evidently recognised me as Prado at the dance."
She shook her head. "No; he doesn't know that I am Mercia Solano. He was a friend of my father's when he was in San Luca, but I was only a little girl then. Later, when I was coming to England, some friends wrote to him about me, and Lady Tregattock invited me to stay."
"But why did you hide your real name?" I asked.