I'll look after you.
Nobody's accusing you of anything."
Louise murmured,
"Monsieur is very good," and dropped her eyelids modestly.
"We take it, then, that you saw and heard nothing?" asked Race impatiently.
"That is what I said, Monsieur."
"And you know of no one who had a grudge against your mistress?"
To the surprise of her listeners Louise nodded her head vigorously.
"Oh, yes. That I do know.
To that question I can answer Yes most emphatically."
Poirot said,
"You mean Mademoiselle de Bellefort?"
"She, certainly. But it is not of her I speak.
There was someone else on this boat who disliked Madame, who was very angry because of the way Madame had injured him."
"Good Lord!" Simon exclaimed. "What's all this?"
Louise went on, still emphatically nodding her head with the utmost vigour.
"Yes, yes, yes, it is as I say!
It concerns the former maid of Madame - my predecessor.
There was a man, one of the engineers on this boat, who wanted her to marry him.
And my predecessor, Marie her name was, she would have done so.
But Madame Doyle, she made inquiries and she discovered that this Fleetwood already he had a wife - a wife of colour you understand, a wife of this country.
She had gone back to her own people, but he was still married to her, you understand.
And so Madame she told all this to Marie, and Marie she was very unhappy and she would not see Fleetwood any more.
And this Fleetwood, he was infuriated, and when he found out that this Madame Doyle had formerly been Mademoiselle Linnet Ridgeway he tells me that he would like to kill her!
Her interference ruined his life, he said."
Louise paused triumphantly.
"This is interesting," said Race.
Poirot turned to Simon.
"Had you any idea of this?"
"None whatever," Simon replied with patent sincerity. "I doubt if Linnet even knew the man was on the boat.
She had probably forgotten all about the incident." He turned sharply to the maid. "Did you say anything to Mrs Doyle about this?"
"No, Monsieur, of course not."
Poirot asked,
"Do you know anything about your mistress's pearls?"
"Her pearls?" Louise's eyes opened very wide. "She was wearing them last night."
"You saw them when she came to bed?"
"Yes, Monsieur."
"Where did she put them?"
"On the table by the side as always."
"That is where you last saw them?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Did you see them there this morning?"
A startled look came into the girl's face.
"Mon Dieu!
I did not even look.
I come up to the bed, I see - I see Madame; and then I cry out and rush out of the door, and I faint."
Hercule Poirot nodded his head.
"You did not look.
But I, I have the eyes which notice, and there were no pearls on the table beside the bed this morning."
Chapter 14