He was empowered to make decisions; it showed in his face. It was also more than likely that he was fully aware of the problems occasioned by Baltimore’s death. It was probably he who had moved the body and left it in Abel Smith’s house. He swung the door wide, slight surprise registering in his face. “Then yer’d better come in,” he suggested. “But don’t take no liberties. I’ll find if Mr. Robinson’ll see yer.”

He left them in the small side room in which Hester had waited before. There was not even space or chairs for all three of them to be seated.

Rathbone looked around him with curiosity and a slight puckering of his nose with distaste.

“Did you come here by yourself, Hester?” he said anxiously.

“Yes, of course I did,” she replied. “There’s no one to come with me. Don’t look like that. I didn’t meet with any harm.”

“Did Monk know?” he asked.

“No. And you are not going to tell him!” she said hotly. “I will do so myself, when the time is right.”

He smiled very slightly. “And when will that be?”

“When the matter is closed,” she said. “It is not always a good idea to tell everybody everything, you know. One should keep one’s own counsel at times.”

He gave her a pointed look.

“Hester is very brave,” Margaret said loyally. “Far braver than I am . . . in some things.”

“I hope you have more sense!” he said sharply.

Margaret blushed and looked down, then up again at him quickly. “I do not think you should criticize Hester, Sir Oliver. She does what she has to in order to protect people who have no one else to care for their interests. The fact that in some cases they may have made errors of judgment does not set them apart from the rest of us.”

Suddenly he smiled. It was a warm and charming gesture. “You are quite right. I’m not used to women who take such risks. It is my fear for her which speaks. I am very slow to learn that my discomfort may concern her, but it certainly will not stop her.”

“Would you wish it to?” Margaret challenged.

He thought for several seconds.

Hester waited, surprisingly interested in what he should reply.

“No,” he said at last. “I used to wish it would, but I have learned at least that much.”

Margaret smiled back at him, then looked away, conscious of his eyes upon her.

The butler returned. “Yer’d better come,” he said, jerking his head toward the corridor and leading them deeper into the warren of passages and stairways.