“Please don’t be so formal,” Zou Zou said. “My name is Alexandra—Zou Zou to my friends—and I am definitely going to call you Great-Aunt Oona. You’ll be a sort of adoptive aunt because my relatives are all far away in Poland and Russia, where I can no longer visit them.” She put a hand on Dooley’s shoulder. “And if you don’t mind you can be my adoptive uncle. So I look forward to seeing where the battle will take us tomorrow, Uncle Dooley. This will be ripping fun.” She took Darcy’s arm. “Come on, then, Darcy. I know you’re fretting about driving me back to Dublin. Let’s get going, then.” And she dragged him down the stairs.

Oona turned to me. “You’d better watch that one,” she said. “She’s got designs on your man.”

Chapter 27

LATE EVENING, DECEMBER 4

A good dinner and a not-so-good surprise!

After they had gone the three of us ate the curried duck, which was absolutely delicious, followed it with a delicate orange mousse, then retired to the drawing room for coffee. I turned down the brandy I was offered. My head was already a little woozy from the sherry and wine with dinner. Oona and Dooley both wanted to know exactly what had happened during the day and how we were getting on with the investigation. I suppose the alcohol had loosened my tongue but I found myself telling them everything, including the discovery of the false passport.

“So there we are then!” Oona slapped her thigh, startling the dogs who were lying draped around her feet. “Now we know that he was on the run or hiding out, there are all sorts of people who might have wanted to kill him. That thickheaded inspector from Dublin will have to drop all charges against Thaddy. I’ll go and tell him myself if nobody else does.”

“It’s not quite as easy as that,” I said. “There are a couple of stumbling blocks. The manservant says that nobody came to the castle that day apart from Darcy’s father. And the only prints on the club were those of Lord Kilhenny. Rather damning evidence, I’m afraid.”

“Does Thaddy have any idea how his prints came to be on the club?”

“Oh yes,” I said. “He went up to the castle that afternoon. He had just learned that the American planned to auction some of the O’Mara treasures, including the Burda club. He was furious and told Mr. Roach, or whoever he really was, that he couldn’t do that. The club was on the table and he picked it up then.”