That had gone after a few days. He’d got the first symptom on Cordelia’s behalf, he’d joked, because she told him she was pregnant that next week. Maybe she had thought she should tell him then, in case he didn’t make it. How ironic. He hadn’t even seen her body, despite bellowing at the intern that he’d seen men dead three deep on the Spion Kop, that a woman and a baby were the only two dead he’d ever wanted to see.

He should retire. He should⁠ —

His teeth set hard together.

What would be left to do then that was hard enough? If he was still a military soul, he’d be like some bloody German, finding insult in his fellow officers all the time, and demanding duels, just so⁠ —

There came a knock at the door.

He opened his mouth, and found that all that was going to come out was an almighty sob.

He slapped himself hard across the cheek.

The pain made him sit up. He opened his eyes and they were clear. He stood as the knock came again and adjusted his tie in the mirror by his desk. ‘Enter!’

The bursar, Mr Moffat, a young Scotsman with curly hair and permanently perplexed eyes, entered. ‘Excuse me, Headmaster⁠ —’

‘Ah, Mr Moffat, I’ve been meaning to have a word with you about Smith. You’re both from north of the border. What do you think of him?’

Moffat thought for a moment, surprised by the question. ‘I wasn’t aware that he was Scottish. He knows as much about Aberdeen as the average Cockney, and seems to have trouble with his accent. Altogether, it’s a pretty poor performance.’

‘Hmm. And these stories that I’ve been hearing from town, that a young teacher’s romancing a barmaid?’

‘Obviously it isn’t me, I lodge in the east-wing apartments. You’d know if I was coming and going.’

‘Very good. Was that all?’

Moffat stared at him. ‘Headmaster, I only came in because there are two visitors to see you. I couldn’t find Miss Robertson. Have you given her the weekend off?’

‘Eh? Well, no, I don’t know what’s become of my secretary since she took the day off to visit her parents yesterday. Another tiny drama. Who are these visitors?’

‘A man called Shuttleworth who runs the local museum, and a woman by the name of Summerfield.’

‘Shuttleworth… oh my God. All right, give me a moment and then show them in.’

He sat behind his desk and found some papers to play with.

A moment later, Alexander and Benny entered.