The visit to Bow Street was brief. Unable to decide which of the brothers had assaulted them, Edmund Mellanby and Oxley settled on Peter. They claimed to recognise the sinister aspect in his character. Paul was highly amused, freely admitting that he had been at the House of Commons but denying that any assault had taken place. When he gave his version of what had happened, the chief magistrate concluded that no crime had occurred and chided the visitors from Nottingham for wasting his time on such meaningless trivia.

‘What were you doing there in the first place?’ demanded Oxley.

‘I was in pursuit of the man who ordered the death of Sir Roger Mellanby,’ said Paul. ‘Instead of having me hauled here, you should be thankful that someone is on the trail of the assassin.’

‘The Bow Street Runners have mounted their own investigation.’

‘It remains to be seen who achieves a satisfactory result.’

‘We don’t need you involved at all,’ said Edmund.

‘In that case,’ interjected Peter, ‘you will wait for ever before you discover who shot your father and at whose command.’

Taking their leave, the brothers walked out and left the two men fuming. On their stroll back to the shooting gallery, they caught up on each other’s news. Paul was fascinated to hear about Peter’s trip to Nottingham, and how the Mellanby family was not uniformly in favour of his commitment to solve the murder on their behalf. For his part, Peter was astonished at the amount of evidence that Paul had already assembled. Now that he was back in the capital, he wanted to throw himself into the search. He told Paul what his first move had been.

‘You went to the Home Secretary?’ asked Paul in surprise.

‘He’s responsible for law and order in this country.’

‘That must make him a very busy man. However did you get access to him?’

‘His brother contrived an appointment for me.’

Paul grinned. ‘Brothers do come in useful from time to time,’ he said. ‘But tell me about Sidmouth. Was he pleased to see you, or did he object when he realised the purpose of your visit?’

Peter gave him a concise account of the interview and confessed that he’d left the Home Office in a state of confusion, refusing to believe that Sidmouth had direct involvement in the suppression of radical movements further north, yet sensing that the man was somehow guilty of actions Peter detested. At all events, he didn’t expect to be allowed anywhere near the Home Secretary again.

‘You’ve lost an important ally,’ said Paul.

‘In times as stressful as this, all friendships come under strain.’

‘You’re being very philosophical, Peter.’

‘I’d say that I was being pragmatic.’

‘You always did like to quibble.’

‘What do you propose to do next?’