“Oh, well, that explains it. I don’t really see Preston pulling off a cold-blooded murder in any case.” He frowned. “Whereas Miss Singh seems extremely level-headed. Theoretically speaking, would Preston lie to cover for her?”

Jimmy shook his head. “Preston’s a good man but he’s no actor, and more to the point, it simply can’t have been Victoria. I’ve known her all my life and she is one of the most decent, principled people I’ve ever met. I’d—oh Lord—I’d put Anna before her in the list, if I had to.”

“Yes,” Fen said. “Because Lady Anna does have the strongest motive by miles, Jimmy, except for your parents.”

“My parents aren’t murderers,” Jimmy said, then recoiled slightly as the implication of his own words dawned on him. “That is— Look, Anna’s had an awful time with Maurice and she hasn’t behaved well herself, but...” He visibly searched for something to add to but, and didn’t find anything. The word hung, empty, in the air.

“She sent her maid away at twenty past,” Fen said. “Disregarding Jack’s testimony for a moment, we heard footsteps coming past, from the East Wing towards the family’s bedrooms, at about twenty to or quarter to. I didn’t hear a door open and shut, and I think we would have done if it had been Victoria’s room, which was just two doors up, but Lady Anna’s is round the corner. And I am very sorry to say it, but it did strike me, when Jack gave their alibi, that he was telling Lady Anna what to say. You were with me from half past eleven.”

Jimmy put his face in his hands. Bill said, “Jim...” Pain throbbed in his voice.

“She would have had to come down here after eleven-thirty to get hold of the knife,” Pat said. “Unless she took it early, but her maid was with her all morning, and Haworth and Jack were in here until almost half past. Then she would have gone back up the west stairs and round the back—”

“No, because we went up there at half past to your room,” Fen said. “She couldn’t have walked along the back corridor towards the East Wing without us hearing, I don’t think. She’d have had to come downstairs after half past eleven, collect the knife, and go through the main hall to the East Wing unseen.”

“Either way, Jack is lying,” Bill said. “He says he went straight up to her when Haworth left him. He’s covering for her.”

Jimmy made a noise in his throat. Bill shot a flicker of a glance at Pat, then moved over and put a hand on his shoulder.