rolled down her cheek. “I didn’t want to talk about it,” she whispered.
“Why don’t you tell me exactly what happened yesterday,” Elizabeth said, as gently as she could.
Tess shook her head. “No, I . . . can’t.”
“I think you know you’ll have to talk about it eventually. If not to me, then to the inspector. He’ll want to know everything that happened.”
Naked fear turned the girl’s face white. “What will happen to me?”
Elizabeth felt a spurt of anger for the events that had caused this young girl so much heartache. It wasn’t until that moment she realized just how much she’d been hoping she was wrong about Tess’s guilt. “That’s something we’ll have to worry about later,” she said, knowing she could offer little hope. “Just tell me what happened. Did he threaten you?”
“I pushed him,” Tess said dully. “He was standing in the doorway of the cellar with his back to the steps. I told him I knew about Fiona being in his room and that I didn’t want to see him again. He laughed at me and called me a silly little prude. I lost my temper and picked up the knife.”
Elizabeth briefly closed her eyes. When she opened them again she saw tears rolling down the girl’s cheeks.
“I would never have hurt him,” Tess whispered. “I thought he would have known that. But he grabbed the knife from me and I was afraid he’d . . .” She gulped and pulled in a deep breath. “I pushed him. He sort of stumbled back and I slammed the door and locked it.”
Elizabeth studied the tear-stained face. “And you left the key in the lock?”
Tess’s brows drew together as if she didn’t understand the question. “I don’t know. I suppose so. I didn’t take it with me.” She started crying in earnest. “He just kept pounding and pounding . . . I ran away. He must have fallen down the stairs in the dark and . . . and stabbed himself.” She buried her face in her handkerchief while Elizabeth waited for her to recover some control.
After a while she blew her nose, then laid her hands in her lap and continued. “I went back to the main hall to find Sadie. I saw my father and he asked me why I was upset but I couldn’t tell him. I just left him and ran outside. Sadie must have seen me and followed me out there. She persuaded me to go back in until after Wally and Aunt Prissy left. Then I changed my clothes and we walked down to the Tudor Arms where she’d left her bicycle.” She looked up, tears still rolling down her face. “I never meant to hurt him. Really I didn’t.”
“It’s all right, Tess.” Elizabeth got to her feet. “Try not to worry. I have a feeling this is going to work out all right for you, after all.”
She left the girl alone, hoping that her hunch was right. Everything depended on how soon she could talk to the people involved, and how long the inspector would be delayed before he arrived to question the Winterhalters. She could only hope she had enough time.
“Are you getting up, Polly?” Edna Barnett’s shrill voice echoed up the narrow staircase. “You’ll make us late for church if you don’t hurry.”
Upstairs in her bedroom, Polly pulled a face at her image in the mirror. “I’m coming!” she yelled back, and picked up the silver-backed hairbrush her mother had given her for Christmas. Pulling it through the tangles in her hair, she wished, as she had a thousand times, that she had Marlene’s lovely red curls.
She’d tried putting curlers in her own hair, but she only had to look at the rain and her curls would vanish, leaving her with the same boring flat hair.
She’d thought about getting one of those permanent waves, but the idea of being hooked up by a bunch of wires to a machine terrified her. Besides, if she didn’t like the results, she’d have to wait for it all to grow out again and that could take years and years.
Polly sighed and put down the brush. She wished Marlene would come home. She always felt better when her
“Why don’t you tell me exactly what happened yesterday,” Elizabeth said, as gently as she could.
Tess shook her head. “No, I . . . can’t.”
“I think you know you’ll have to talk about it eventually. If not to me, then to the inspector. He’ll want to know everything that happened.”
Naked fear turned the girl’s face white. “What will happen to me?”
Elizabeth felt a spurt of anger for the events that had caused this young girl so much heartache. It wasn’t until that moment she realized just how much she’d been hoping she was wrong about Tess’s guilt. “That’s something we’ll have to worry about later,” she said, knowing she could offer little hope. “Just tell me what happened. Did he threaten you?”
“I pushed him,” Tess said dully. “He was standing in the doorway of the cellar with his back to the steps. I told him I knew about Fiona being in his room and that I didn’t want to see him again. He laughed at me and called me a silly little prude. I lost my temper and picked up the knife.”
Elizabeth briefly closed her eyes. When she opened them again she saw tears rolling down the girl’s cheeks.
“I would never have hurt him,” Tess whispered. “I thought he would have known that. But he grabbed the knife from me and I was afraid he’d . . .” She gulped and pulled in a deep breath. “I pushed him. He sort of stumbled back and I slammed the door and locked it.”
Elizabeth studied the tear-stained face. “And you left the key in the lock?”
Tess’s brows drew together as if she didn’t understand the question. “I don’t know. I suppose so. I didn’t take it with me.” She started crying in earnest. “He just kept pounding and pounding . . . I ran away. He must have fallen down the stairs in the dark and . . . and stabbed himself.” She buried her face in her handkerchief while Elizabeth waited for her to recover some control.
After a while she blew her nose, then laid her hands in her lap and continued. “I went back to the main hall to find Sadie. I saw my father and he asked me why I was upset but I couldn’t tell him. I just left him and ran outside. Sadie must have seen me and followed me out there. She persuaded me to go back in until after Wally and Aunt Prissy left. Then I changed my clothes and we walked down to the Tudor Arms where she’d left her bicycle.” She looked up, tears still rolling down her face. “I never meant to hurt him. Really I didn’t.”
“It’s all right, Tess.” Elizabeth got to her feet. “Try not to worry. I have a feeling this is going to work out all right for you, after all.”
She left the girl alone, hoping that her hunch was right. Everything depended on how soon she could talk to the people involved, and how long the inspector would be delayed before he arrived to question the Winterhalters. She could only hope she had enough time.
“Are you getting up, Polly?” Edna Barnett’s shrill voice echoed up the narrow staircase. “You’ll make us late for church if you don’t hurry.”
Upstairs in her bedroom, Polly pulled a face at her image in the mirror. “I’m coming!” she yelled back, and picked up the silver-backed hairbrush her mother had given her for Christmas. Pulling it through the tangles in her hair, she wished, as she had a thousand times, that she had Marlene’s lovely red curls.
She’d tried putting curlers in her own hair, but she only had to look at the rain and her curls would vanish, leaving her with the same boring flat hair.
She’d thought about getting one of those permanent waves, but the idea of being hooked up by a bunch of wires to a machine terrified her. Besides, if she didn’t like the results, she’d have to wait for it all to grow out again and that could take years and years.
Polly sighed and put down the brush. She wished Marlene would come home. She always felt better when her
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