‘So, how would I research them without their archives?’

‘Depends. What era are you looking at?’

‘The same as your colleague. Just before and after the First World War.’

‘Then newspapers would be your best bet. The upper echelons could barely take a walk without it being scrutinised and reported in the press. There’s nothing new about the paparazzi.’

‘I was reading about the inquest into the death of the daughter of the family. Her name was …’ Lou stumbled. ‘Her name was Charlotte, and around 1920, she married George Caxton – Lord Caxton.’

‘A Caxton? You won’t have any trouble finding information about them. They’ve got records coming out of their ears over at Caxton Hall. Jem visited their archivist to go through their First World War records. They practically kept the War Office in shells and munitions. Made a killing – if you’ll excuse the pun. Sorry, bad taste.’

The thought of the Caxton’s revelling in success likes pigs rolling in muck, while the Mandeville’s fortunes plummeted, made Lou’s stomach churn. ‘Would there be anything about the death of Sir Charles Mandeville in the records?’ she asked. ‘He was the last baronet’s father. And Charlotte’s father. He died around 1919. He was mentioned in the inquest.’

Will powered up his computer and typed Sir Charles’ name into the general search engine. Lou let him get on with it and kept her mouth shut. If he knew that she had a degree in history, he might not be so inclined to help.

‘Bingo!’ Will opened an article from The Courier reporting the inquest into Sir Charles Mandeville’s death. ‘Oh dear, it looks like he came to a bit of a sticky end.’ Will scanned the article, relaying the keys points. ‘Sir Charles was killed when he went out shooting alone in the woods on his land – something he had never done before. It was a freezing day. Early January. A dense fog. Evidence that Sir Charles stumbled on a patch of ice, and the gun went off as he fell. His groom heard the shot and ran into the woods where he discovered Sir Charles. He was ex-military and knew time was of the imperative, so carried Sir Charles back to the house. By the time the doctor arrived, there was nothing to be done. Sir Charles died of a gunshot wound to the head. The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.’

‘What was the name of the groom?’ Lou asked.

Will scanned the article. ‘Elliot. It says here that he was Sir Charles’ batman when he was in the military. The coroner commended Elliot for his efforts and warned that Sir Charles’ behaviour be a salutary lesson for any man tempted to venture abroad with a loaded gun on his own. He delivered his verdict of accidental death, in spite of evidence presented by a number of witnesses that Sir Charles had been in a troubled state of mind following reports into a business deal that had gone sour. The resulting scandal caused him to resign from his seat in the Commons. The coroner said he had taken this factor into account but had concluded that it had no bearing on Sir Charles’ death. Looks like the Mandevilles had a lucky escape.’