Will took a slug of water. Lou knew what he was about to say before the cap was back on the bottle. The Polish salt mine.

‘You see, there was a Polish salt mine scheme that turned into a huge scandal.’ Will wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. ‘Much of what I found out comes from reports in The Times in 1919. Unfortunately for Sir Charles, back in 1912, he invested in a new salt mine on the recommendation of a friend. From what I’ve read about Sir Charles, I’d put money on the fact that he wasn’t a man to gamble on a speculative or risky business. I’m filling in a gap here, but I’m guessing that he trusted this “friend.” That’s where it went wrong. Sir Charles was duped.

‘The exact details are a little sketchy in the articles, but it seems that the friend kept tapping him for more cash, saying that the mine needed more investment. I suppose once you’re in for a huge sum, you can’t back out easily. Once the friend had drained the coffers, he upped and left, taking all of the money with him. Sir Charles managed to keep the story out of the press at the time. An MP implicated in a scam would have been compromised and, at the very least, would have been subjected to a parliamentary enquiry. Over the course of the next few years, Sir Charles managed to claw his way back from the brink of ruin with some judicious investments. He could have been forgiven for thinking he had put a lid on the whole sorry episode. Until this.’

Will flicked through the sheets and stopped at an article. ‘In 1919, someone leaked the story of the salt mine investment to the press. The Express broke the story, and took great delight in twisting the knife, accusing Sir Charles of a hush up, insinuating that he was involved not only in the mine but that he had his finger in lots of dodgy pies. There was even some suggestion that he was involved in a scam to fleece the War Office, making huge profits from investment in a munitions manufacturer.

‘The Express steadfastly refused to reveal the identity of their informant, saying only that it was a “secret source.” They ripped Sir Charles apart. A juicy scandal, especially at the expense of the great and good, sold newspapers back then just as it does now. It was only a few months after the story broke and he resigned as an MP, that Sir Charles committed suicide. The scandal must have rocked an honourable man like him to the core. The truth eventually came out that he had been conned by his so-called friend, and that the accusation of involvement in the munitions scam was false, but it was too late for poor Sir Charles.’

Will sat back and tapped his teeth with his pencil. ‘You have to feel sorry for him. He had no idea that the person who engineered his ruin from beginning to end was an enemy within.’