‘I’ll help if I can,’ I said. I’d expected to feel terrified, but now they were standing in front of me, I felt a kind of euphoria. ‘Sit down. Can I offer you a drink?’

‘Thank you,’ Phillips said, pulling out a chair. ‘A whisky would be fine.’

Maud poured him a glass and silently offered one to his partner, a younger man with a short ginger moustache and a shiny forehead. He shook his head and remained standing.

Phillips took out a notebook. ‘Are you sure you want to stay, Miss?’

‘If it’s fine with my brother.’

I nodded.

Phillips shrugged. ‘Firstly, then, can you confirm how you spent the evening?’

I crossed my legs and clasped my knee with my hands. ‘Of course. I ate alone at the Carlton Grill.’ My voice was calm, measured.

‘Can anyone corroborate that?’

‘The waiters. And I saw Lucy …’ Phillips looked up from his notebook. ‘I don’t know her married name. She was Lucy Cartwright before.’

‘You spoke to Lucy?’ Maud asked.

‘No, she didn’t see me. But I was leaving as she went in.’

‘Carry on,’ Phillips said.

‘Then I took a rickshaw to the Muthaiga. I ran into Dr Gregory there, and sat with him while he ate.’

‘Very good.’

‘Afterwards, I’m not sure …’ I lowered my gaze, ‘I’d had a lot to drink.’

‘Can you tell me what time you left the Muthaiga?’

‘I don’t know.’ I poured myself a glass of whisky too. ‘Can you tell me why exactly you’re asking this? I thought Lord Hamilton died in a fire.’

Phillips flicked back a few pages in his notebook. ‘A neighbour has testified that he saw someone matching your description enter the property a few hours before Lord Hamilton came home. He didn’t see when you left.’

I felt, rather than heard, Maud’s sharp intake of breath. I had a feeling Phillips noticed it too.

I pulled an embarrassed face. ‘That’s right. I went to see if he was in.’

‘He wasn’t?’

‘No. I circled the house and looked through the back windows but all the lights were off. So I left.’

‘Straight away?’

‘Yes. The neighbour must have missed me.’ I gave him a regretful smile.

‘What did you want to talk to Lord Hamilton about?’

I took a sip of my drink. My hands were cool with sweat and I held the glass tight in case it slipped. ‘I wanted to give him my condolences. His wife died a few days ago.’

‘Were you close to his wife?’

I wondered if he knew about the heroin. My mouth was dry, despite the whisky, and when I spoke next my voice shook.

‘Not particularly. I used to go to dinner parties at theirs. And I felt sorry for her, of course. She was very ill.’

Phillips looked apologetically at Maud. ‘Sorry you have to hear this, Miss Miller.’

‘I’m alright, Inspector.’