Nerina gave a little gasp, but did not speak.
Glancing at her face Sir Rupert continued,
“The last words may seem a little strong, but you have on several occasions today and last night threatened me that if I did not agree to what you suggested you, in your turn, would do certain things which would cause me acute discomfort. That, of course, is blackmail. All this is very unpleasant and I have been wondering to myself whether you would not be wise in your own interests to take a far more decisive step. You say that you are an orphan and that your uncle and aunt have no affection for you. If therefore you were to vanish, or shall we say disappear, there would be no one to make any unpleasant enquiries as to what had happened to you.”
“Do you intend to murder me?” Nerina asked.
“On the
