‘The same thing that made me seek you out in the first place, Sir Marcus, and that’s the search for the truth. I won’t rest until I’ve found out who ordered the assassination of Sir Roger Mellanby.’

‘Your tenacity is admirable, though I’m not sure why you’ve approached me. I’ve nothing to add to what I told you at our earlier meeting.’

‘You did promise to think things over.’

‘Did I?’ asked the other. ‘Yes, I suppose I did, and, to some extent, I’ve been doing that. I’ve been looking around the benches to see which of Sir Roger’s many enemies might be deemed capable of such an appalling crime.’

‘And did anyone stand out?’

‘I’m not sure that they did, Mr Skillen. There are several Members who are secretly pleased that such a formidable speaker is no longer alive to fight for a cause they despise, but that doesn’t mean they’d devise a plot to kill him.’

‘Who stands most to gain from Sir Roger’s death?’

‘It’s difficult to pick out any individual,’ said the politician. ‘In a sense, the whole of the Tory government is the beneficiary because they will no longer have to face his thunderous criticism of the Corn Laws. As someone who believes strongly in that excellent piece of legislation, I must admit that – once I’d heaved a genuine sigh of regret at the news of his death – I felt a sense of relief.’

‘Were you involved in framing the Corn Laws?’

‘Heavens, no!’ he exclaimed with a laugh. ‘That was the work of sharper brains than mine. Expert lawyers like Oswald Ferriday were consulted. Since he owns a vast amount of land in Hampshire, he had a vested interest in protecting the income that is generated by it.’

‘Mr Ferriday’s name was mentioned to me.’

‘In what context, may I ask?’

‘He was felt to be particularly hostile towards Sir Roger.’

‘It’s true,’ admitted the other. ‘But, then, he had good cause to be.’

‘Why was that?’

‘Oswald made the mistake of challenging Sir Roger about his campaign for wider suffrage, daring to claim that it was only a pretence used to gain attention. In effect, he was impugning Sir Roger’s integrity and that was akin to setting a light to a keg of gunpowder. The resulting explosion made the walls shake. I’ve never seen anyone as angry as Sir Roger became.’

‘What did he say?’

‘It wasn’t the content of the speech that was important. It was the way he delivered it. Oswald Ferriday was mercilessly excoriated,’ said Sir Marcus. ‘In the face of such a verbal hurricane, he was forced to apologise. He never dared to question Sir Roger’s character after that.’

‘Are debates always that fiery?’

‘This wasn’t a debate. It was a duel between two men who loathed each other.’

‘It sounds as if Sir Roger was triumphant.’