"I wonder whether she is," Dominey mused.

"I think men have generally found her so," Caroline replied. "She had
one wonderful love affair, which ended, as you know, in her husband
being killed in a duel and her lover being banished from the country.
Still, she's not quite the sort of woman to be content with a banished
lover. I fancied I noticed distinct signs of her being willing to
replace him whilst she has been down here!"

"I feel as though a blight had settled upon my house party," Dominey
remarked with bland irrelevancy. "First Eddy, then Mr. Ludwig Miller,
and now Stephanie."

"And who on earth was Mr. Ludwig Miller, after all?" Caroline enquired.

"He was a fat, flaxen-haired German who brought me messages from old
friends in Africa. He had no luggage but a walking stick, and he seems
to have upset the male part of my domestics last night by accepting a
bed and then disappearing!"

"With the plate?"

"Not a thing missing. Parkins spent an agonised half hour, counting
everything. Mr. Ludwig appears to be one of those unsolved mysteries
which go to make up an imperfect world."

"Well, we've had a jolly time," Caroline said reminiscently. "To-morrow
Henry and I are off, and I suppose the others. I must say on the whole I
am delighted with our visit."