Lady Molly of Scotland Yard

Lady Molly of Scotland Yard
by Baroness Orczy

LONDON: CASSELL AND COMPANY, LTD., 1912
CONTENTS
I. THE NINESCORE MYSTERY
II. THE FREWIN MINIATURES
III. THE IRISH-TWEED COAT
IV. THE FORDWYCH CASTLE MYSTERY
V. A DAY'S FOLLY
VI. A CASTLE IN BRITTANY
VII. A CHRISTMAS TRAGEDY
VIII. THE BAG OF SAND
IX. THE MAN IN THE INVERNESS CAPE
X. THE WOMAN IN THE BIG HAT
XI. SIR JEREMIAH'S WILL
XII. THE END
LADY MOLLY OF SCOTLAND YARD

I
THE NINESCORE MYSTERY
WELL, you know, some say she is the daughter of a duke, others that
she was born in the gutter, and that the handle has been soldered on to
her name in order to give her style and influence.
I could say a lot, of course, but "my lips are sealed," as the poets say.
All through her successful career at the Yard she honoured me with her
friendship and confidence, but when she took me in partnership, as it
were, she made me promise that I would never breathe a word of her
private life, and this I swore on my Bible oath--"wish I may die," and
all the rest of it.
Yes, we always called her "my lady," from the moment that she was
put at the head of our section; and the chief called her "Lady Molly" in
our presence. We of the Female Department are dreadfully snubbed by
the men, though don't tell me that women have not ten times as much
intuition as the blundering and sterner sex; my firm belief is that we
shouldn't have half so many undetected crimes if some of the so-called
mysteries were put to the test of feminine investigation.
Do you suppose for a moment, for instance, that the truth about that
extraordinary case at Ninescore would ever have come to light if the
men alone had had the handling of it? Would any man have taken so
bold a risk as Lady Molly did when--But I am anticipating.
Let me go back to that memorable morning when she came into my
room in a wild state of agitation.
"The chief says I may go down to Ninescore if I like, Mary," she said in
a voice all a-quiver with excitement.
"You!" I ejaculated. "What for?"
"What for--what for?" she repeated eagerly. "Mary, don't you

understand? It is the chance I have been waiting for--the chance of a
lifetime? They are all desperate about the case up at the Yard; the
public is furious, and columns of sarcastic letters appear in the daily
press. None of our men know what to do; they are at their wits' end,
and so this morning I went to the chief--"
"Yes?" I queried eagerly, for she had suddenly ceased speaking.
"Well, never mind now how I did it--I will tell you all about it on the
way, for we have just got time to catch the 11 a.m. down to Canterbury.
The chief says I may go, and that I may take whom I like with me. He
suggested one of the men, but somehow I feel that this is woman's work,
and I'd rather have you, Mary, than anyone. We will go over the
preliminaries of the case together in the train, as I don't suppose that
you have got them at your fingers' ends yet, and you have only just got
time to put a few things together and meet me at Charing Cross
booking-office in time for that 11.0 sharp."
She was off before I could ask her any more questions, and anyhow I
was too flabbergasted to say much. A murder case in the hands of the
Female Department! Such a thing had been unheard of until now. But I
was all excitement, too, and you may be sure I was at the station in
good time.
Fortunately Lady Molly and I had a carriage to ourselves. It was a
non-stop run to Canterbury, so we had plenty of time before us, and I
was longing to know all about this case, you bet, since I was to have
the honour of helping Lady Molly in it.
The murder of Mary Nicholls had actually been committed at Ash
Court, a fine old mansion which stands in the village of Ninescore. The
Court is surrounded by magnificently timbered grounds, the most
fascinating portion of which is an island in the midst of a small pond,
which is spanned by a tiny rustic bridge. The island is called "The
Wilderness," and is at the furthermost end of the grounds, out of sight
and earshot of the mansion itself. It was in this charming spot, on the
edge of the pond, that the body of a girl was found on the 5th of
February last.

I will spare you the horrible details of