"It was a considerable adventure," I reminded them, "and in view of what happened ..."

"Yes, in view of what happened," said Garth slowly.

"Susannah is proving herself to be an excellent custodian ... or should we say seneschal," said Malcolm. He turned to me, smiling. "I must say I was a little surprised."

"You didn't have much of an opinion of me then?" I murmured.

"I can't say that I had. I never thought you'd give the time and thought to the job. I didn't think you'd be interested enough in the tenants."

"So she is proving a model of virtue, is she?" said Garth. "I must say that shakes me."

"Garth, please ..." said Emerald.

"All right, all right," said Garth. "Only I must say that the very thought of Susannah's sprouting wings amuses me. I'll have to get used to it, I suppose. What did you do, Susannah? Turn over a new leaf, repent the folly of your ways ... or what?"

"I am interested in everything about the castle naturally."

"Yes, you always were ... in a way. And now ... coming into possession ... I suppose makes a difference."

Somehow I got through that uneasy dinner hour. As we rose from the table Malcolm said: "I haven't seen much of you these last few days. Where have you been hiding?"

"I haven't been feeling very well," I told him.

A solicitous look came into his eyes. "You involve yourself too much with these people. A little is all very well ..."

"I'm all right," I insisted. "Just a little tired."

I went up to my room.

I was thinking: I can't go on like this. Something will have to happen. I toyed with the idea of going down to Malcolm now and telling him what I knew. Perhaps I should confess to Emerald.

I took off my dress and put on a dressing gown. I sat at my mirror staring at my reflection as though for some inspiration as to what I should do next. The mask of Susannah was still on my face. But I fancied it had slipped a little.

I heard footsteps in the corridor. They paused at my door and it was opened.

Garth stood there.

He was grinning at me. He came towards me and his eyes did not leave my face as he approached.

"I don't know who you are," he said, "but there is one thing I do know and that is that you are not Susannah."

I stood up. "Will you please leave my room," I said.

"No," he replied. "Who the hell are you? What are you doing here pretending to be Susannah? Looking a little like her, yes. But you can't fool me. You're a fraud. Who are you, I say?"

I did not answer. He took me by the shoulders and forced my head back. He brought his face close to mine.

"If anybody knows Susannah, I do. I know every inch of Susannah. Where is she? What have you done with her? Where have you come from?"

"Let me go," I cried.

"When you tell me."

"I ... I am Susannah."

"You're a liar. What's happened to you then? You've become a saint, have you? So good to all the people. Winning the approval of second cousin Malcolm. What's the idea? You say you are Susannah. Then let's continue where we left off, shall we? Come, Susannah, you were never so retiring before. Do you realize how long it is since we were together?" He had pulled me to him and started kissing me ... in a violent, savage sort of way. He tore at my dressing gown. He seemed to be working himself into a frenzy.

"Stop," I cried.

He paused and there was something demoniacal in his laughter.

"If you're Susannah," he said, "show me. You were never exactly shy. Insatiable, that was you, Susannah. You know you wanted me as much as I wanted you. That's why it was such fun."

I cried: "Let me go. I am not Susannah."

He released me. "Ah," he said, "now you are going to tell me the truth. Where is Susannah?"

"Susannah is dead. She died in the volcanic eruption on Vulcan Island."

"And who in God's name are you?"

"Her half sister."

"Lord save us. You're Anabel's brat. Anabel's and Joel's."

"They were my parents."

"And you were with them on that island... ."

"Yes. Susannah came. I went to Australia to attend a friend's wedding and while I was there the volcano erupted. It killed everyone on the island."

"And so ... you took her place." He looked at me with something like admiration. "Clever girl!" he added. "Clever little girl!"

"Now you will tell them, I suppose. I've confessed. And I'm glad. I can't go on with this."

"A good plan," he said, eying me speculatively. "You took possession of the castle, didn't you? One in the eye for Malcolm.

What a joke!" He started to laugh. "Esmond died and that gave the castle to Susannah ... and then little bastard sister comes along and decides she'll have it. I call that rich. I like it in a way. But it's not foolproof, is it, and when Susannah's constant lover and devoted slave comes along he finds a cuckoo in the nest."

I knew then that he was the writer of those letters. He frightened me.

"It was wicked of me," I said. "I realize that now. I'm going to tell them and I shall go away."

"You could be prosecuted for fraud, you little schemer. No, you mustn't confess. That's silly. I shan't give you away. I'll think of some way round this. So she's dead, is she? Susannah! She was a witch. She was an enchantress. You'll never be that, my dear little impostor. You haven't got what she had. Who else ever had? Oh, Susannah ... I was thinking that tonight would be what it used to be. Why did she want to go to that wretched island? ..." He was genuinely moved. He brightened suddenly. "Never let misfortune overwhelm you," he went on. "Never cry over what's done and dead and gone. I'm not going to, I promise you. You've got the castle now. All right then. I might let you keep it ... if you'll share it with me."

"What do you mean?"

"Susannah and I were going to be married when Esmond died."

"You ... you killed Esmond."

He gripped my wrist. "Never say that out loud. Esmond died. He had a recurrence of a former illness. This last time he did not recover."

It was all sickening. I was learning so much, but there was one piece of knowledge which gladdened my heart: I had made a mistake about the man who had written those letters; it was not Malcolm but Garth.

Mingling with the terror which Garth created was the delight that Malcolm had never been Susannah's lover and that he was not involved in the murder of Esmond.

Garth came close to me and put his hands on my shoulders. "You and I know too much about each other, little imitation Susannah. We shall have to work together and I see a way. Yes, I do." He lifted my chin in his hands and looked into my face. I shrank from him. I was afraid of the glitter in his eyes. "I came home thinking that this night Susannah and I would be together.

I was starved for Susannah. And she is dead ... that lovely, desirable, wicked insatiable witch is dead. That enchantress of men has gone. The Devil has taken back his own." He almost threw me from him and sat down heavily. He brought down his fist on the dressing table. Then he stared ahead. I wondered what he was going to do next.

Suddenly he began to laugh. "So you died, Susannah. You let me down by dying... . Never mind. I'll get along without you. You've sent me someone who looks a little like you. I could pretend she was you ... at times." He turned to me. "Come here," he said.

"I shall do no such thing. Please go."

"I want to look at you. You've got to make me forget I've lost Susannah."

"I am going to leave the castle," I said. "You must go tomorrow."

"Indeed! The Queen of the Castle speaks. Never mind that she has usurped the crown and I know it. You think I'm going to be ordered about by you, do you? No, little Queen with no right to the crown, you are going to do as I say. Then you can go on being Queen for as long as I shall let you."

"Listen," I insisted. "I'm going to tell them. I'm going away from here. You can do your worst."

"Spirit!" he commented. "And not unexpected. If you'd been spineless you'd never be here, would you? I've a plan forming in my mind and it could be good for both of us. I fancy you, my little one. You are like Susannah ... in a way, and that could be piquant." He took my hand and tried to draw me to him. "Let us put the matter to the test. Let us see if it would work. If I like you I'd marry you. And we'd rule together as Susannah and I promised ourselves we would."

"Please take your hands off me," I cried, "and go. If you don't I shall ring the bell and call for help."

"And what if I were to tell them what a wicked girl you are?"

"You may do so. I intend to tell them myself."

"I believe you would. That would be foolish. It would spoil everything. Malcolm would be proclaimed true heir and we don't want that, do we? No. Keep quiet. I'll make a plan. It'll be like planning with Susannah."

"I shall not make any plans with you."

"You have no help for it. It's either be kind to me or the end of your little game."

"My little game is over now."

"It need not be."

"If the only alternative is to go on planning with you it is definitely over."

"Nice words. Nobly spoken." He swayed on his heels, looking at me. "I like you more every minute. It was a bit of a shock finding you weren't Susannah. But it's no use harking back, is it? I'll go now ... if you want me to. But plans are forming in my head. We are going to make a good thing of this ... you and I together."

I could only say: "Please go ... now... ."