It was quite dark by the time we left Sir Jeremy’s and Darcy hailed a taxicab. Luckily I had Bobo’s key in my purse. Darcy had the cab drop us on Park Lane rather than outside Bobo’s block of flats. I felt rather proud of myself when I led Darcy around to show him the back entrance, but the pride vanished when we found the entrance locked for the night. I tried both my keys but neither worked.

“Bolted from the inside for the night. That’s torn it,” Darcy said. “Now we have two options. Either we go away and try during the daytime tomorrow or we bluff our way past the doorman.” He looked at me and grinned. “I say the latter.”

“You do the talking,” I said. “That Irish blarney of yours might get us past.”

“As it happens, I don’t even think we’ll need too much blarney,” he said. “Come on, let’s go and present ourselves to William.”

We went around to the front of the building and Darcy marched ahead of me through those glass swing doors and up to the doorman’s cubby. A ginger-haired man started to come out when he heard us, then stopped.

“Good evening, William,” Darcy said, going up to him with a jaunty stride. “It’s been a long time. How are you?”

The man’s face lit up. “Mr. O’Mara. How nice to see you. It has been a long time. In fact we were just talking about you the other day and saying that we had expected you to come and stay when Miss Carrington was away during the summer.”

“Unfortunately I couldn’t make it this time, although I always enjoy staying here,” Darcy said. “I was in America, as it happens.”

“America? Fancy that. Is it all that they say it is?”

“And more,” Darcy said. “But a terrible depression is going on there just like here.”

William nodded. “There’s not a day goes by that I’m not thankful I’ve got a job, Mr. O’Mara. When you see all those poor wretches on street corners, don’t you? And at the soup kitchens in the stations.”

“You do indeed.” Darcy paused for an instant. “You’ve been keeping well? And the family? Growing up fast?”

“Indeed they are, Mr. O’Mara,” William said. “Eating us out of house and home.” Then his smile faded. “But I’m afraid Miss Carrington isn’t in residence, if that’s who you’ve come to see, sir. Hasn’t been home for days now.” He leaned closer to Darcy. “And between ourselves, there’s something funny going on. Frederick says the police were here. They didn’t identify themselves as police, but you can always tell, can’t you?”