“Probably, but they won’t be difficult ones. They have a murderer and a confession. Where anybody else was or what we were doing is neither here nor there.”

Fen beamed. “That’s a relief. And what about your father, Jimmy? The Threppel and Swing business?”

“The Earl has agreed to cooperate fully with me,” Bill said. “Now he’s not obliged to protect Haworth, and considering the scandal couldn’t really be any worse, the whole thing should become a great deal easier to unpick. I’m going to stick around a while longer and get things sorted out.”

“I’m blasted grateful,” Jimmy said. “For that, and to all of you. Fen, you’ve been a brick about everything, and I’m awfully sorry to have played the fool. Pat, you really are the best pal a chap could have. If you hadn’t dug into this business instead of waiting for the police, Jack might have got away with it.”

“For pity’s sake, Jimmy, it was Fen’s idea! Not mine. She came up with the idea and led it, and did every bit as much as me.” Pat realised she’d raised her voice, and modulated it slightly. “Do stop underestimating her, for goodness’ sake. You’ve done quite enough of that.”

“It’s really all right,” Fen assured her, although her cheeks were pink with pleasure. “Anyway we shouldn’t have got anywhere without you being so frightfully clever about noticing the cards, not to mention holding Jack up like a bank robber. It was marvellous.”

“Yes, it was,” Jimmy said. “Aged me about ten years. Very well: you’re both wonderful and I don’t deserve either of you, let alone Bill.”

“Never mind, old man.” Bill was looking out across the vista of the rain-cleansed moors, yellow and green and gently steaming, but Pat could see the smile twitching at his lips. “That’s all right.”

“I hope it is,” Pat said, which was as close as she could reasonably come to You had better love my brother and cherish him, James Yoxall, or the next person I hold at gunpoint will be you. “What about that poor boy, your nephew?”

“Well, Maurice is dead, so things are already looking up, and Ma has sent for him. We’ll have to see what Anna wants to do, of course, but Ma and Pa would love to have the little chap make his home here. He ought to get to know his people, and it’s a good place for a boy to grow up.”

“It is,” Bill agreed. “Now the worm’s been got out of the apple, or the snake out of Eden, or whatever it is. Not that one should feel glad about a murder.”

“Perhaps not, but there’s no point being sentimental.” Pat gave him a nod.