‘Where is your gorgeous boy?’ cooed Lady Polly.

‘Right there. Roger! Come and be introduced.’

Roger came to join them. His eyes were grey and fringed with fair lashes. After the introductions were effected, Roger held out his arm to Rose. ‘Shall we walk a little before the next half? I find rout chairs demned uncomfortable.’

Rose took his arm. ‘I have read a lot about you, Lady Rose,’ said Roger. ‘You do seem to have a lot of adventures.’

‘I hope they are over now,’ said Rose, looking around for Harry and not finding him. ‘I have not seen you at the Season before.’

‘I’ve been travelling. I adore seeing other countries.’ He began to describe his travels and Rose found herself becoming very interested. ‘I’ll need to settle down one day,’ said Roger, fixing her with his clear grey gaze, ‘but it would need to be with someone as adventurous as myself.’

Rose felt a pulse of attraction for him. Harry was such a difficult man. What would it be like to be free to travel the world with an adventurous husband?

‘It’s starting again,’ said Roger with a groan. ‘Not my thing. I say, would you like to go driving in the Park with me tomorrow?’

Rose was about to refuse, but then a spurt of rebellion prompted her to say, ‘I should like that very much.’

Why should she forgo the chance of a drive with a handsome man for someone like Harry who, as usual, had not even bothered to show up?

Harry had been refused an invitation. Mrs Blenkinsop had recently tried to hire him to find her lost dog and Harry had declined. She had not forgiven him. He wondered how he was going to be able to see Rose. He also realized that he could not afford to keep turning down minor cases and so he told his secretary to advertise in the newspapers for detectives. Daisy was not in a condition to go out detecting and he needed Becket with him as an assistant as well as a driver.

He was disappointed that Rose had not called him to tell him of any social engagements where he might meet her. He wrongly assumed that she would understand that he had been unable to secure an invitation.

Then he suddenly thought that at least Daisy could call on her and tell her all about the latest developments. Unfortunately, he forgot to tell Daisy why he had failed to appear the night before.

Rose listened in growing horror as Daisy told her of the death of the prison guard. She almost thought of cancelling her outing with Roger but then realized if she did so, her mother would be furious with her.

‘I wonder how Kerridge got on with interviewing Jones,’ she said. ‘I would have loved to be there.’

‘What I was wondering,’ said Daisy, ‘was how a haberdasher from a shop in the Mile End Road could suddenly afford a large shop in Notting Hill, not to mention a flat in Chepstow Mansions.’