“Why not?” Belinda said, as if the idea had never occurred to her. She slipped her arm through Jack’s, and they went on ahead of me. I had been watching this little interchange with admiration, wishing that I’d actually taken lessons in seduction from Belinda rather than learning all the useless skills of finishing school.

“I studied fashion design with Chanel,” I heard her saying. “And now I’m trying to get my own clothing line off the ground, but it’s all rather depressing, since my father cut me off, having now turned twenty-one.”

I almost laughed out loud. The way she phrased this had been the truth, I suppose. She had indeed turned twenty-one—only it had been three years ago. I decided not to join the group around the coffeepot, but felt it was my duty to see how Mr. Smedley was faring all alone in the morning room. I had found him an absolutely wet and spineless specimen, but I would not like to find myself a virtual prisoner in a stately home where a murder had taken place.

When I crossed the hall and opened the morning room door, Mr. Smedley jumped to his feet and stood there like a startled rabbit, ready to run. I noticed that his coffee was only half drunk and the plate of biscuits beside him untouched. What’s more, he had been reading The Lady, which showed how distracted he must have been feeling.

“It’s only me,” I said. “I came to see how you were.”

“How long am I to be kept here, Lady Georgiana?” he demanded. “This is an outrage. Apart from an exchange of correspondence with the late duke, I have no connection to this family at all. It’s not as if I actually knew the man, so surely they could just take my statement and let me go.”

“I don’t see why not,” I said. “I’ll go and talk to the inspector if you like, to see if he’ll interview you first, before he gets to the rest of us.”

“Would you?” I saw relief flush over his face. “I’d be most grateful. It feels as if I’ve been shut away in here forever. And now that I won’t be getting the contract to design the theater here—” He paused and looked up at me. “I presume the new duke will not wish to carry on with the plans?”

“I think it highly unlikely,” I said.

“I feared as much. Then the sooner I am back in my office on Queen Anne Street, the better.”

“Look, why don’t you come with me and we’ll find the inspector. I can vouch that you were with me the whole time when we found the body,” I said.

“That’s frightfully decent of you, my lady,” he said. “Much appreciated.”