The Housemaid Kept the Murder Schedule

How it begins

At ten past seven, Rose wrote that the blue room needed doing twice.

It was not an accusation.

The first time, she had emptied the grate, brushed the carpet, and opened the shutters. The second, she had found wet ash on the hearth and a fresh footprint beside the bed.

Someone had been inconsiderate.

In a house of twenty-three rooms, inconsiderate people required records.

She drew a small cross beside the entry.

Nell passed behind her carrying a basket of linen.

"Don't let Mrs. Fenn see that."

"She asked me to account for the extra work."

"She asked you to account for the time. That's different."

Rose looked down at the page.

Blue room, ten past seven. Morning room, twenty to eight. Library, postponed at Mr. Vale's request.

Three ordinary facts.

By luncheon, one of them would be called impossible.

The bell from upstairs rang twice, stopped, then rang without a pause.

Nell set down the basket.

"Stay here."

Rose did not.

At the landing, the butler stood outside the blue room. His face had the peculiar stillness of a man trying to decide which disaster could be kept from visitors.

Behind him, Rose saw the bed.

She saw a hand hanging over its edge.

Then he closed the door.

"No one has entered since yesterday," he said.

Rose looked at the wet mark on her own sleeve, left by the ash she had cleaned that morning.

"I did."

The butler turned.

"That cannot be right."

She took the rota from her apron pocket.

Nell arrived beside her, breathing hard.

For a moment Rose expected another warning about the notebook.

Instead, the older woman placed the linen basket on the floor.

"It is right," Nell said. "And if you're going to tell the police otherwise, you'll have to tell them why you ordered the sheets changed."