‘I only met the man once and that was on Hampstead Heath at dawn.’

‘You went there to kill him, Mr Denley.’

‘It was a matter of honour.’

‘It should have been a matter of common sense. From what I’ve heard, Sir Roger was an expert swordsman.’

‘I was not aware of it at the time.’

‘You should have taken the precaution of finding out. Very well,’ said Peter, ‘let’s look elsewhere. I believe you have a flourishing wine business.’

‘It’s the fruit of hard work over many years.’

‘I’m told that people in high society are numbered amongst your clients.’

‘They want the best wine available so they come to me.’

‘Do any members of the government buy their stock from you?’

‘I don’t see that that’s any concern of yours.’

‘It’s a natural assumption, Mr Denley. It may be, for instance, that the Home Secretary drinks wine purchased from you. Then there’s the President of the Board of Trade, Mr Ferriday. Might he also be one of your customers?’

‘I don’t keep track of individual accounts. All I know is that my stock is popular and that business is brisk.’

‘Let’s go back to Sir Roger,’ suggested Peter.

Denley sighed. ‘Must we?’

‘What was your opinion of his stance on suffrage?’

‘I’ve no time for politics.’

‘He wanted to widen the franchise considerably. Sir Roger felt that those at the mercy of government decisions regarding their livelihood ought to have a say on who was elected to Parliament. Don’t you think that cause is laudable?’

‘It’s irrelevant as far as I’m concerned.’

‘Why do you believe that?’

‘The lower orders must be kept in their place,’ snapped Denley, ‘or we’ll have anarchy. Power must remain in the hands of the people best qualified to exercise it. We can’t let a rabble run the country.’

‘I thought you had no time for politics.’

‘I’m only saying what every decent Englishman would say.’

‘Then let me tell you something,’ said Peter, sharply. ‘I’ve met some of the people you call a “rabble” and, to a man, they were decent and hard-working. Denied education, they’ve made every effort to educate themselves. They don’t have the money to sit around drinking your wine and decrying the major section of the population. They fight for the few rights allowed them and I find that admirable.’

Denley sniggered. ‘You’re a second Sir Roger Mellanby.’

‘How would you know?’

‘I heard him speak on one occasion at a public gathering.’

‘What were you doing in the audience?’

‘That’s my business.’

‘You told me that the only time you met Sir Roger was at the duel.’

‘I was just one face in the crowd. We never spoke.’

‘Why were you there in the first place?’

‘I wanted to know a little more about him.’

‘Was this before or after the duel?’ asked Peter.