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Many people – though probably not Marcus – might have wished to be a fly on the wall at Mr Pennyfeather’s interview with Lavinia, but they were all of them obliged to wait in suspense to see if the Runner, who they’d realised wasn’t always completely discreet when it suited him, would see fit to tell them of it. They could hardly ask.

He returned to Half-Moon Street the next day, and was shown into Lady Thornfalcon’s sitting room once more.

Marcus was not present, being out on some business to do with the resignation of his commission, but the ladies received him cordially.

He had come, he explained, to show Miss Thornfalcon his revised list, and to see if it sparked any recollections in her sharp brain.

‘You might recall, for instance, now you see new names, if any of them were standing closer to you than others. And if some people say they weren’t and you say maybe they were, that’ll be interesting too.

At least I can be tolerable certain you didn’t push the young lady. ’

Helena gave the document great attention, but replied in the end, ‘I’m not acquainted with most of these people, that’s the problem, so I don’t know.

But I do know this lady and her husband – at least by sight – and I’m sure they were nowhere near us.

I didn’t even know she was present, so she must have been some little distance away. I hope that is some help to you.’

The officer gave a sardonic little grunt.

‘It’s good to have confirmation from you, miss.

It’s a process of elimination, you might say.

To hear them talk, you’d think not one of these people was anywhere near you but ten miles distant, even though the sort of platform affair at the top of the stairs isn’t at all large and so they can’t all be telling the truth.

So it’s good to know who I can put some faith in when they tell me where other people were besides themselves, if you follow me. ’

‘Do you really think you’ll get to the bottom of this, Mr Pennyfeather?

’ Judith asked him. ‘It seems to me it’s going to come in the end to a group of young ladies and none of them admitting having done it.

And if they begin implicating each other in a great state of panic, as I can imagine they might, however will you know which to believe? ’

‘We have our ways, my lady,’ he said portentously.

‘But you were right, as it happens, about the other Lady Thornfalcon. Not a word of regret from her about Lady Amelia’s fall, and if I’m waiting for her to admit anything in the nature of persuading or inducing someone else to give her a push, I’ll be waiting a long time.

She’s a cold one, and no mistake. Looked at me as though I was lower than a worm, which there’s no call for, in my opinion.

I have a job to do – at the instigation of Sir Humphrey – and I’m doing it, no more and no less. ’

‘Of course you are,’ Helena said, pouring him some more tea in obedience to a glance from her mother.

‘And we at least are very grateful for it, and so I know are Lady Amelia’s family, not to mention Sir Humphrey.

The fact is, even if she isn’t at all involved, I imagine my sister-in-law doesn’t actually want you to find out who did the deed.

Because if it was one of those silly Friends, I expect she will incur some criticism because of it, at least from sensible people. ’

‘I dare say that’s so, but then you’d think she’d have the mother wit to be a little civil,’ the Runner grumbled, giving every appearance of a man who was prepared to hold a grudge for a substantial period of time.

And indeed it was hard to see why Lavinia should have chosen to make an enemy of him when she need not have done; it could not help her, even if it was true that he could do her little harm at the moment, apart from passing on his so far unprovable suspicions to the highly influential Sir Humphrey.

Helena told Mr Pennyfeather that Lady Amelia was now considered to be fit to return to society again, and that she and her mother and brother would be accompanying the Wyvernes to dinner at Sir Humphrey’s house that evening.

‘Do you have any advice for us on how to go on?’ she asked him.

They understood each other tolerably well by now, she felt.

‘Apart, I suppose, from the obvious – do not stand about daydreaming at the top of any flights of stairs.’

‘Hmm. On the face of it, miss, it seems unlikely that the person responsible will be so foolish as to try again. Because we do have a pretty good idea by now of who was in the crowd behind you, and if Her Ladyship was to meet with another mishap and one of those people close by – well, her goose would be cooked, as you might say. But still, I can see you’re both a mite uneasy, and I can understand why.

She’s safe enough in a private home tonight.

Sir Humphrey has very strong views indeed about these Friends of Lavinia, now that I’ve made my report to him, and you can be sure he won’t be inviting any of them to dinner with you.

But on a more public occasion… well, let’s just say that I’ve been given access to the young lady’s diary of engagements, and we’ll be keeping an eye on her, unobtrusive-like, with her agreement and her brother’s. ’

‘I’m very glad to hear it,’ she said frankly, and her mother murmured agreement and pressed another slice of lemon cake on Mr Pennyfeather, who was rapidly advancing to the status of confidential family friend.