‘No,’ Simon said. ‘I wasn’t even here late on Friday night. I was working in Scotland on Saturday and as soon as we left the Cadver I drove north. I spent the night in a hotel in Galloway so I could make an early start. My company’s preparing the environmental impact assessment for a new west coast pipeline.’

Molly allowed him to continue, wondering why he was giving her so many details in reply to a simple question. She looked at Joanna but the woman’s face was blank.

‘And you, Mr Grenville?’ she asked. ‘Did you see my aunt after the dinner party on Friday night?’

‘I did see her, actually,’ Jeremy said. ‘She was coming out of Keeper’s Cottage. I was going past in a car. We didn’t speak.’

‘Where were you going?’ Molly asked and she seemed so harmless and good natured that no one dreamt of accusing her of interference or suggested that she should mind her own business.

‘Nowhere,’ Jeremy said. ‘Not really. Only to the end of the valley. Eve, my girlfriend, had been at the Cadver for dinner. We’d had no opportunity to be alone. I drove with her to the dam and walked back alone. I saw Mrs Ottway coming out of Vic Liddle’s cottage on the way out.’

‘Did you see anyone on your way back?’

‘No,’ he said. ‘No one.’

Molly sat back in the chair and they stared at her, waiting for her to go. Simon stood up and walked to the window beside Joanna, but Molly made no move.

‘When I arrived at Back Rigg yesterday there was someone on the hill behind the house,’ she said. ‘A young man, dressed in one of those army surplus jackets. It wasn’t Mr Liddle. I’d recognise him.’

‘That would be Danny Craven,’ Joanna said. ‘He’s the new under-keeper.’

‘Ah,’ Molly said. ‘Yes. I see.’

Then she did stand up. She took the quilted jacket from the back of her chair and put it on, sensing their impatience to get rid of her but refusing to hurry, allowing the tension to build.

Jeremy opened the door for her and waited for her to leave the room.

‘And your father?’ she said. ‘Will he be driving back to London tonight?’

It was more appropriate than any of the other questions she had asked – a common politeness – but for the first time Jeremy showed anger.

‘No,’ he said sharply. ‘Father hasn’t any urgent business in Westminster for the next few days so he’s decided to stay here until after the Easter recess.’

She paused, registering disapproval of his irritability. Then: ‘ It’s such a beautiful estate,’ she said mildly. ‘I’m not surprised he’s taking the opportunity to spend more time here.’

She beamed at them all and left.