“I must explain,” he said quickly, “that Miss Compton has only just returned to England and we are to be married very shortly.”
The Chief Constable smiled.
He was about to speak when there was a shrill shriek from Mrs. Matherson.
“Marry her? You are not going to marry her, Stafford. You are going to marry me! I love you, you know I love you!”
She tried to throw herself against him, but the Earl put out his arm and held her away from him.
“Control yourself, Sybil,” he demanded sharply.
“You are going to marry me!” she shouted. “I killed Edward so that you could do so. I killed that Anstey woman and I killed your daughter! There is now no one to stop you from being mine do you hear? Mine – mine!”
There was silence as the Earl, the Chief Constable and Jaela stared at her.
Even in her
