“He traveled with the family from Greece?”

“Apparently.”

“Then he would have been at Corfu when they picked up the children,” said Gwen. “I wonder what he found there. I wonder if he kept it.”

“Something someone thinks they can use for blackmail,” said Iris. “Let’s get back outside. I need some air.”

They returned their volumes to the front desk and walked outside. Without saying anything, they wandered over to the charred wreckage of the bomb site.

“Paper burns,” observed Iris gloomily. “When it survives, it holds information. Secrets. The questions are, what are we looking for, and where is it?”

“That doesn’t narrow things down much,” said Gwen.

“On the contrary—we’ve narrowed them down from everything in the world to one man’s life.”

“Which ended more than a year ago.”

“But there are others who knew him. A widow. A daughter. Friends.”

“Titled friends.”

“Greek friends.”

“‘The King of the Hellenes was represented,’” quoted Gwen. “Talbot hadn’t been involved in Greek affairs since he was exposed and knighted, yet over two decades later, the ‘King of the Hellenes,’ who fled like a Greek king does when there’s trouble, cares enough to send a representative to his funeral. Gratitude for saving his uncle?”

“Perhaps,” said Iris. “What else would you suggest?”

“The king in exile lives in London,” said Gwen. “My mother-in-law came home from a party sniffing about seeing him with his current mistress.”

“She disapproves of mistresses?”

“She disapproves of Greeks,” said Gwen. “Along with Italians, Turks— Well, the list is very long. But what I am wondering is if this has something to do with the Greek throne. Aren’t they considering restoring him?”

“There is supposed to be some sort of vote in September,” said Iris.

“And how far down the line of succession is Prince Philip, again? Fourth? Or was it fifth?”

“Let me count,” said Iris, flipping open her notebook. “King George the Second is his first cousin. George has a younger brother who has a son—that’s three—then there’s an uncle with a son, making five, except he married a divorcée, so he’s out of the running, which means Philip is fifth.”

“No women in line?”

“Plenty of women. The Greeks don’t count women.”

“And they claim to be civilised,” sniffed Gwen. “Well, it’s a long shot, but what if this ties into the Greek royal family? Marrying one of theirs to our heir apparent gives the monarchists legitimacy for this referendum.”

“Then disgracing Philip could be a motive for the opposition,” continued Iris. “Possible. So the opposition in this case would be the Leftists.”

“Have we stumbled upon an international Communist plot of some kind? That would be beyond our abilities to fight. Well, mine, at least. You, no doubt, could take Stalin on single-handed.”

“Not my type,” said Iris. “I don’t like his mustache. So, people close to Talbot and close to Prince Andrea.”

“There’s a widow apiece.”

“We can’t talk to Princess Alice,” said Iris. “Those are toes we would not be authorised to step upon. The Widow Talbot, on the other hand, might be promising.”