Pat didn’t feel she could press any further questions about the pre-prandial period within decency. “All right. It seems that the, er, period of interest is between half past eleven and one, during which Jack and Lady Anna were together the whole time. So were Fen and I. And so were you?” She hadn’t meant to make that a question, but it came out that way.

“Yes,” Bill said flatly, for himself and Jimmy.

“That leaves Victoria, Preston, the Earl and the Countess, and if everyone has an alibi for the period before lunch then we’ll have demonstrated that none of us was responsible. I’m going to talk to Victoria.” She knew it sounded abrupt but she didn’t care. She rose, feeling jerky and ungainly, and strode out. Fen followed, and Pat felt a warm hand close over hers.

“Pat?”

“Let’s find the others first. I want this over with.”

The engaged pair weren’t far away: in the West Wing’s library, talking quietly. Victoria looked up as Pat entered. “Hello. Is something wrong?”

Pat plunged in, unwilling to hedge. “Sorry to bother you. We’re interested in knowing where everyone was before lunchtime yesterday.”

Victoria’s brows rose. “That is the question of the day, I suppose. Should we not wait for the police to do the asking?”

“I’d prefer to ask now. I’m not terribly happy about waiting.”

“All right with me. We were together,” Preston said. “Met up at breakfast, went to speak to Lady Witton to let her know our news, and then we rather went and hid, didn’t we?”

“Where?”

“In here,” Victoria said. “We had tea around eleven; Mary—the housemaid—brought it, and came to clear away when we were finished. I suppose that was around quarter to twelve or so but I couldn’t swear to the exact time.”

“Did you go to the East Wing at all?”

Preston shook his head. “We stayed in here until luncheon, then decided we ought to make an effort to be sociable in the afternoon, since Haworth wasn’t around. I played cards with the other chaps. Jack won, naturally.”

“Did you see Haworth at any point yesterday?”

“Glad to say I didn’t.” Preston reddened. “That is—oh, you know what I mean. It was jolly awkward, having laid hands on the blighter. I felt I’d behaved badly enough the night before.”

“Did you think you might hit him again if you saw him?” Fen asked, so wide-eyed and innocently curious that Preston was half way through his answer before Pat realised her meaning.

“I should hope not. Talk about uncivilised. I’d have hopped on the milk train this morning and rid the Wittons of my presence if it hadn’t meant leaving Victoria in the lurch. But since I couldn’t do that, I felt I’d be best off avoiding the ghastly swine. Not to speak ill of the dead.”