‘I know they were having an affair,’ Palmer-Jones said impatiently. ‘And if you don’t tell me about it I’ll talk to someone less scrupulous.’

Lomax got up and wandered vaguely to the fridge to fetch another can of beer.

‘I don’t know how it all started,’ he said. ‘Marcus used to come into the office – we were on the same select committee – and he always had a fatherly word for her. I didn’t think anything of it. Why should I? The man had been there at her christening. The age difference between them was immense. And her father had been one of his employees.’

‘When did you suspect that he was taking more than a fatherly interest in Miss Craven?’

‘I saw them together by chance,’ Lomas said. ‘I went to her flat quite late one night to pick up some papers. She wasn’t there. I went to the car to wait for her and I saw them walking up the street together. He had his arm around her. It was raining but neither of them seemed to notice. He went into the flat with her and although I waited he didn’t come out. I think by the end he was practically living there.’

‘Was the affair common knowledge?’

‘No,’ Lomax said. ‘I don’t think so. They were very discreet. I think eventually some of his clever colleagues found out. You know what the place is like. It’s impossible to keep anything secret. But I never heard it discussed.’

‘Did you talk to Kate about Grenville after you’d seen them together?’

‘No. I didn’t think it was any of my business.’ Lomax drank slowly from the beer can. The washing machine spun to a standstill with an unhealthy crash. Lomax got up automatically and pushed a button. ‘ Grenville talked to me about it, though,’ he said.

‘What happened?’

‘He asked me out for a drink,’ Lomax said, ‘and that was unusual in itself. He never usually bothered much with me. I wasn’t any use to him, you see. He knew I’d gone as far in the party as I’d ever get. My face didn’t really fit. Marcus might look like a genial country squire but he’s an ambitious man.’

‘What did he want?’ George asked.

‘I don’t know. Reassurance, acceptance. To explain. We got rather pissed, actually. I found the whole thing rather embarrassing to tell you the truth and it was the only way I could handle it.’

‘What did he tell you?’

‘That he loved her. That was it. I suspect that was the reason for the meeting. He wanted to put it on record and there was no one else to tell. Not even Kate.’

‘Why couldn’t he tell her?’