“I don’t want to think it,” Pat said. “I hate thinking it. But Bill gave Jimmy an alibi, even though he must have known how dreadfully unconvincing it sounded. He wouldn’t have lied like that if he didn’t have to. He’s not a fool.”

Fen’s arms came round her waist. Pat leaned against her, needing all the comfort she could get. “But you know, darling, it might not be as bad as it looks. Suppose Haworth was threatening Jimmy and they had a row that morning. It would look dreadfully suspicious to admit it, even if he left the man alive and well.”

“Not as suspicious as Bill telling obvious lies to protect him,” Pat said. “Not to mention that if Jimmy had said, yes I saw Haworth, we’d have a better idea of the time of death. There’s only one person who wants to sow confusion in this situation, and it’s the guilty party.”

“But it was Mr. Merton who lied,” Fen said, very gently. “Not Jimmy.”

The drumbeat of fear was echoing through Pat, making it hard to think. Of course Bill wasn’t a murderer. She would never believe that. Except that if Haworth had been blackmailing them, he and Jimmy could have faced two years in gaol, hard labour, shame and disgrace and the besmirching of two ancient family names. What would Bill do to protect himself and Jimmy from that? What would she have done to save her brother, if it had been down to her? What might she do for Fen?

She put her face in her hands. Fen’s arm tightened. “Darling, stop. You’re thinking terrible things and you oughtn’t.”

“Why not? Everyone else has an alibi!”

“No, they don’t,” Fen said. “We don’t know about the staff yet, or the Earl and Countess. And I don’t want to impugn my former in-laws to be, but they had as much motive as anyone could possibly require.”

“I don’t know if they’d have the strength,” Pat said, but she recalled the Earl out on his lands. Elderly, yes, but a hale and hearty countryman all the same.

“I’d find the strength if it were my children he threatened,” Fen said. “And if it wasn’t them, well, it might be a servant, or someone else might be lying. It might be that famous passing tramp. You’re thinking about Jimmy and your brother because things always seem more likely when we don’t want them to be true, and the more we fear it, the more inevitable it seems. Don’t you find?”

Pat took a deep breath. “Yes.”

“So don’t panic. I’m sure your brother won’t lie to the police.”

“But he’s already lied to us, and suppose Jack tells the police about that? If I’ve made everything worse—”