“Of course I would, but surely it can’t be anyone here.”

“I agree with my sister,” Edwina said. “You should be out asking questions of the estate workers and in the village, and if you’re looking for things like fingerprints, then are you being equally diligent about finding telltale footprints?”

“That’s right,” Jack said. “Take a look at my boots. I bet you don’t see too many like them around here. Proper Aussie stockman’s boots. Go and take a look at that body and tell me if you see my footprints anywhere around.”

“As to that, sir,” the inspector said, “the stream has been washing over the footpath, probably spoiling any footprints we might have found. And I have already been told that you are an expert at throwing a knife—just like William Tell, I believe that young man said. You could have followed the duke and struck him down from a distance.” He looked around the assembled company. “If you’ll all stay exactly where you are, I’ll have my constable bring in the fingerprint kit. I assure you it’s quite painless and will only take a moment.”

And with that, he made a grand exit from the room.

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Edwina was the first to speak. “If it’s John’s knife, of course his fingerprints will be on it. What does that silly man think he is going to prove?”

“I think he wants everyone’s fingerprints to rule out those known to have touched the knife,” Darcy replied.

“I touched it,” Nick said, looking rather proud of himself. “Jack was showing me how to throw it. So my fingerprints will be on it, won’t they?”

“I think it’s high time you children were back in the nursery.” Irene looked around nervously. “You’ve been down here long enough and this discussion is unsuitable for young ears. And you two already have too many ghoulish tendencies.”

“Do you want us up in the schoolroom by ourselves?” Kat said. “We could get into all sorts of mischief with Mr. Carter’s science experiments if he’s not there.”

“Then I will have to tell Mr. Carter that in future all your science should come from books, not experiments, if you can’t be trusted,” Irene said smoothly. “Is that what you want?”

“No, Mama,” the twins muttered in unison.

“Then off you go, and I expect to be able to trust you not to get up to any mischief. Your grandmother and I have enough to worry about at this moment.”

The twins got up and left the room, rather in shock at their mother’s firmness, I thought. Sissy continued to sit unnoticed on the far side of the fireplace, staring at the rain streaking the windowpanes and occasionally glancing across at Jack, whose own gaze was fixed on the pattern on the Persian rug. A constable arrived, pulled over a side table and began taking fingerprints.