“Well, please don’t think of going anywhere in the near future,” she said, holding the photograph carefully with the handkerchief around it. “You will be needed as a witness at the trial.”

“I know that. It would be much better if the lord guy pleaded guilty right now and we didn’t have to go through all the nonsense of a trial.”

“Fortunately for Lord Kilhenny, he has many important friends who are going to make sure that justice is done for him,” she said, giving him a brisk nod. “Good afternoon to you, Mr. Riley.”

Twilight fell swiftly as we walked back through the woods. The rooks were cawing as they came to roost in the big oak trees and their raucous noise drowned out any stirrings in the undergrowth. But even though I could hear no human voices, I had a horrible feeling of eyes on me. I glanced over my shoulder but saw nothing. No branches moved in the undergrowth. But I was still completely sure that someone was watching me.

Chapter 26

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4

BACK TO MOUNTJOY.

We made it back to the door in the wall without incident. Darcy and his father greeted us with obvious relief, and a touch of respect as I recounted Zou Zou’s brilliant performance.

“You should have gone on the stage,” Darcy said. “You and Georgie’s mother. You’d have made a fine pair.”

She laughed. “I’ve often found a few acting skills to be useful in life,” she said. “Fortunately I’ve never needed to live by the sweat of my brow.”

“Lucky for you,” Lord Kilhenny said. “Some of us have had to struggle to keep our heads above water and haven’t always succeeded.”

“But life is not always fair, is it?” she said. “I did not know where I should go or how I should live when they killed my husband and burned my home. But I learned to make a new life for myself. That is what one has to do. Pull oneself up by the bootstraps and start over.”

“Of course, it helps if you have a nice large Swiss bank account,” Darcy pointed out.

She laughed then. “Yes, that does help.” She looked at Darcy. “What did you find at the post office?”

“Nothing. The postmistress said that no letters had come for Mr. Roach from America.”

“It’s quite possible that he had a postbox in Kildare or Dublin and his man picked up letters there,” Lord Kilhenny pointed out.

“Of course. Another thing for the Garda to check on,” I said. “If they are willing to do so.”

“It’s getting dark,” Darcy said. “I should drive you back to Dublin.”