Priory of Death: 4

It was early evening when I brought the grey Jaguar to a stop at the end of a long and bumpy drive that seemed to have been designed to wreck the suspension of lesser cars than the mighty Jag. Scruff had fallen asleep, something I wasn't best pleased about, and I think I must have looked awful. I certainly felt it. We'd eaten somewhere in Yorkshire, and that had been a very long time ago.
Dentree Priory was a splendid gothic building in the local grey stone. I rather liked it, even in the rather bleak rain. Pulling my long grey raincoat about me, I stepped out and hurried across the gravel forecourt to the front door. Although it was only a few yards from my car to the door, I was soaked to the skin by the time I got to the porch, where I rang the bell until someone opened the door of the house.
The butler looked incredibly neat and irritatingly dry. I wanted to hit him, but I wanted to be let in more.
"Good evening, Miss..." he began. Before he could say any more another voice interrupted his.
"Jane!!" it cried delightedly. I was pulled inside and my wet rain-coat was pulled off. Victoria, a rather excitable brunette who is quite a bit taller than I am, gasped in horror. I like the idea of a dumb brunette, but I like the fact of one a great deal less. Victoria means well, but that's the kindest thing I can say about her.
"Jane! You're wet through! Hawkins, show Jane to her room where she can change!"
"All my things are in the boot of my car - it's the grey Jaguar with an untidy sixteen-year-old girl asleep in the back, you can't miss it."
"Scruff!" Victoria cried delightedly, "you brought Scruff!" she hugged me, then quickly jumped back when she discovered how wet I was.
"Scruff," I smiled. "She lives with me now, you know, so I rather had to bring her along. I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not! I'm so glad you get on well with your sister! Mine hates the sight of me. Oh, Hawkins, please wake up the girl in the back of the car. Make sure she doesn't get as wet as Jane is!"
Hawkins looked up from putting on some serious wet weather clothes.
"Very good, Madam."
"He came with the house," she explained. "He's a wonderful butler!"
And it was a wonderful house. I apologised to Victoria for dripping all the way up the stairs, and I was glad when I could get out of my wet clothes and into a nice hot bath. There's nothing like one of those at the end of a long, tiring journey. As I lay in the bath I heard the one in the bathroom next to mine being run. I suspected it was Scruff.
Well, I thought to myself, this is rather nice. Even if all the other guests are a pain, you've got a very nice place, and you can lose yourself somewhere here. I wondered how Victoria had found it. Not that I had much desire to buy a country house - I like my London flat, and it's so convenient for crime-fighting and dating the Green Man.
By the time I'd finished in the bath, my evening clothes were laid out on my bed. I dressed quickly and descended the grand staircase to meet my fellow guests.
I have a funny attitude to suprises. I mean that I actually like some surprises. There are others I don't like, and the identities of some of the guests would be in the latter category. What I didn't know was that one of the guests would be dead before 2007.