He was careful not to mention his brother’s relationship with Hannah. Tolerant as he was in many ways, David Mellanby would hardly approve of two people living together before wedlock. It was safer to let him believe that Paul’s friendship with Hannah was confined to his work as her bodyguard.

‘Where are you intending to stay?’ asked Peter.

‘Well, I was going to join my brother at the Clarendon Hotel.’

‘Do you really want to be under the same roof as him?’

‘To be quite candid,’ said David, ‘I don’t. I’m rather dreading it.’

‘Then why not stay in London as our guest?’

‘Oh, I couldn’t impose on you at such short notice.’

‘Charlotte and I would be happy to have you.’

‘That’s extremely kind of you, Mr Skillen, especially as my family was singularly inhospitable towards you.’

‘You’ll be welcomed with open arms.’

‘Then I accept your invitation with the utmost thanks. Edmund and I are not as close as you and your brother clearly are. Besides, if I stay at the hotel, I’d have to look at the granite face of Mr Oxley over every meal.’

Peter grinned. ‘That would be a deterrent, I grant you.’

‘I wonder if I might ask you some questions now, Paul.’

‘Before you do that,’ said Paul, ‘I need to give you a warning. The man who killed your father is still at liberty. For reasons I can’t go into, we’ve established that he was responsible for two or even three other deaths. His murderous spree may not have ended there. It behoves you – and your brother – to keep your wits about you. Having assassinated the head of your family, he may conceivably have orders to kill other members of it.’

‘Thank you for telling me,’ said David with a slight shudder.

Alone in his room, the assassin was bewildered. Having gone to the trouble of breaking into the house of one of his victims, all that he’d found was a name that meant nothing whatsoever to him. The person above all others he sought was as far out of reach as ever and so was the additional money he’d been promised for his work. He was desperate to know the truth and to do so quickly. Time was against him. He was the target of a manhunt now. He needed to commit one more murder before he disappeared.

CHAPTER TWENTY