“She has arms like chicken bones,” Fen said unkindly, considering her own delightfully round and dimpled arms. “Then again, the papers say drug fiends are capable of all sorts of unexpected physical feats. Why would she kill him?”

“You don’t think being married to him would be a motive for murder?”

“Well, obviously, but I suppose I meant why today. I dare say there may have been something.”

“A row in the night, an insult too far. This is an awful conversation.” Pat wrapped her arms around her knees.

“It is awful,” Fen said. “And it would be nice to believe in the passing tramp, or blame one of the servants, but—”

“But the house is full of motives.”

“Is it full? Who else would want him dead?”

Of course. Fen didn’t know about Lord Witton’s troubles. Pat hesitated a second, then threw caution to the wind. She needed to talk this out. “I’m afraid the Earl is in a tricky situation.”

She explained the business as she understood it. Fen looked appalled. “My goodness. Of course I knew they’d lost money, but I had no idea the Earl was to blame. I’m extremely surprised Daddy didn’t find this out after Jimmy proposed.” She paused. “Unless he did, and didn’t tell me.”

Pat winced on her behalf. “It’s under investigation. He might not have known the Earl is personally implicated.”

“With your brother investigating.” Fen made a face. “I don’t suppose Jimmy likes that. But why would it benefit the Yoxalls to have Haworth dead?”

“I got the impression he was wringing money out of them under the threat of making the financial business look bad for the Earl. And of course he was holding Lady Anna’s well-being, and the child’s, over their heads.”

“So the whole family had every reason to want him to go away,” Fen said. “Ugh. Does anyone else apart from the family have a motive? Mr. Keynes?”

“I’d have said no, except that he had a good try at killing the blighter last night.”

“He did, didn’t he? I suppose he’ll have some explaining to do to the police, with the bruises on Haworth’s throat.”

Pat hadn’t thought of that. “Oh, dear. Yes, that won’t look good at all. Though that was a hot-blooded response to insult, whereas this was cold-blooded murder. And that particular knife points the finger at Victoria. I can’t think Preston would do that.”

“If he realised it would be taken that way, of course. But even so, it seems utterly out of character, though murder generally must be, mustn’t it? What about Mr. Bouvier-Lynes?”

Pat frowned. “There’s his affair with Lady Anna, but wouldn’t it be more likely that Haworth would have murdered him?”