A short time later the tutor, Jephcott, bustled in, looking flustered and spouting apologies and excuses for his absence when they arrived. A fastidiously dressed man in his late middle years, he became visibly distressed when Hart began to question him, clearly fearing to be blamed for the boy’s disappearance.

“I assure you, your grace, that I took the greatest of care of the boy. Phillip is a delicate little fellow, prone to catch every illness that’s going around, but he means well, and works hard and does his best to please. I cannot imagine what dreadful thing caused him to disappear. I promise you, he was only out of my sight for a bare few minutes.”

“What time did you first notice he was gone?” Hart asked.

Jephcott frowned in pained recollection. “I can’t be sure. It was late afternoon—before teatime certainly. He’d finished his Latin declensions, and I gave him an hour or two free time to play. But I was watching him from the terrace.”

Dozing on the terrace, more like, George thought.

“Where did you think he went?”

“To the lake—he likes to dangle a fishing line in. He never catches anything, of course.”

“Could he have fallen in?”

“It was the first thing I thought of, but we checked and there was no sign that he’d been there. His fishing rods were undisturbed and the small rowing boat he occasionally takes out was moored as usual—of course he’s not allowed to fish or take the boat out alone, and he’s a very responsible and obedient boy.”

George was feeling more and more sorry for the child. To be so responsible and obedient at not quite seven years old. It wasn’t natural. She wasn’t sure what Latin declensions were, but they sounded horrid. And with no proper garden, no horse and no dog, what was there for a small boy to do?

Hart dismissed the tutor and sent for drinks to be brought in, brandy for himself and a sherry for George.

“I’ll investigate that lake first thing in the morning.” Hart’s face was very grim. “That fellow is not the right kind of tutor for a small boy. I should have interviewed him myself for the position. His references were excellent, but now I’ve met him, I can see he’s too old and fussy for a young boy.”

George was a little shocked that he’d appointed the tutor sight unseen, but she knew now that Hart’s first priority had been the reorganization of and restoration of the estate Phillip was to inherit, which at the time was a much bigger problem—and who was to say that was wrong? But Hart was clearly blaming himself for whatever had happened to Phillip.

“It’s not your fault,” she began.

Hart cut her off with a sharp gesture. “The boy is my responsibility.”