But Lord Kilhenny cut in, saying, “No, she’s right, my boy. You stay here with Georgie. If anyone can make that inspector behave like a civilized human being, it will be Alexandra.”

Darcy turned to give me a quizzical look. “Very well, Father, if that’s what you want,” he said. We watched them go.

“I do believe he’s sweet on her,” he said as he closed the door. “I hope it won’t lead to disappointment. She’s quite out of his league.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I rather suspect she has developed a soft spot for him.”

“Only in the way that one does when one rescues a drowning kitten, I fear. She has a big heart.”

I nodded and said nothing more.

“So we were right about Mickey Riley,” Darcy said. “I knew that he’d never make a manservant. I hope they are able to pin the murder on him—” He broke off as there were footsteps outside and a loud rap on the knocker.

“Now what?” Darcy said. “They’ve probably come back because Zou Zou has forgotten her powder compact.” He strode back to the door and opened it. Yet another Garda officer was standing there and there were two police vehicles in the lane.

“I wonder if you can help us, sir,” the Garda constable said. “We were sent to bring in a man called Mickey Riley who was working at the castle. But the gate is locked and we can’t raise anyone inside to open it. So we wondered, is there perhaps another way in?”

“Of course,” Darcy said. “Follow me.”

I came too. I wasn’t about to be left out of the fun. Darcy led them to the little door in the wall.

“Presumably you’ll need to get into the castle, won’t you?” he asked. “It doesn’t exactly have the sort of doors you can kick down.”

“Can you help us with that, sir?”

“I believe my father still has a key to the servants’ quarters,” Darcy said. “Let me go and see if I can find it.”

“Much appreciated, sir. We’ll wait.”

Darcy went back to the lodge. He wasn’t gone long and came out bearing a large key on a ring. As he passed me he said, “You wait inside, Georgie. This man may well be armed. I don’t want you in danger.”

Then he led the Garda officers through the estate to the castle. Of course I followed behind. The grounds were soggy underfoot and we squelched through mud. Patches of snow still lingered under big Scotch pine trees. A bitter wind swept through the trees, rattling bare branches. Darcy led the way to the back of the castle, then went down a narrow flight of steps. They were moss covered and quite slippery. Water dripped down from above. He put the key in a weathered door and it opened with an ominous creak.