“I’ll leave that side of things to you,” I said. “But the big question is, why was her body lying in a courtyard at Kensington Palace? Not the sort of place she’d meet with a drug dealer. So either she came to see somebody there and was killed because of it, or she was killed by persons unknown somewhere else and her body was dumped there to implicate the royal family and cause a scandal.”

“She could have come to the palace to see Princess Marina and tell her about her relationship with Prince George,” he said.

“But Marina and I were out dining at Buckingham Palace. I have my suspicions about Marina’s cousin Countess Irmtraut.”

He chuckled. “Countess Irmtraut. What a ghastly name.”

“Equally ghastly person. Very jealous and protective of Marina. So if Bobo told her who she was, I can quite see Irmtraut killing her. But then why leave her for all to see? Why not at least try to hide the body in some bushes?”

“She was disturbed and had to beat a retreat?” he suggested.

“Anyway, I don’t know how we’d get her to confess.”

“You’ve passed on this suspicion?”

“To Sir Jeremy. He’s questioned her.”

“So your job is done.”

“Not quite,” I said. “I managed to break into Bobo’s flat.”

“You did what?” He sounded horrified.

“Well, actually I used a key I’d acquired from the cleaning lady.”

“Georgie, that’s breaking and entering. Don’t do things like that, please. Leave it to the professionals.”

“Only the professionals didn’t discover she had a wall safe behind a painting.”

“Then tell them, and don’t do things like that anymore.” He slipped his arm around my shoulder. “Georgie, Bobo was connected to all kinds of people who might be dangerous. You have no way of finding out her various dealings. Nor should you try.”

“I am going to follow up on one thing,” I said. “There was an address on her blotting paper. A Mary Boyle in Deptford. I wondered if it might be her maid. I was told she’d had a maid and dismissed her. But I was also told she was fond of her.”

Darcy shook his head. “I don’t remember her maid being called Mary. And what might you discover from the maid?”

“Who was the father of her child, perhaps. Surely that’s one of the key factors, isn’t it? Someone who has a lot to lose . . .” My thoughts went to Sir Toby. “Sir Toby Blenchley,” I said. “I was told she was linked to him for a while. He’d have everything to lose if it came out that she’d had their child.”

“Don’t you dare try to follow up on that,” he said. “Leave it to me. He’s the sort of man who doesn’t always play by the rules.”

“So he might have killed her to keep her quiet?”