‘Don’t believe a word that he says.’

‘The credit for the arrest shouldn’t go to me,’ confessed Paul. ‘The real hero is Chevy Ruddock.’ All eyes turned to their colleague. ‘He was the person who discovered the truth and he was cruelly ignored by those above him.’

‘Quite rightly,’ shouted Yeomans.

‘I say the same,’ added Hale, defiantly.

‘Then let me show you how easily you were tricked,’ said Paul, drawing his sword in a flash and holding it at Scattergood’s throat. ‘Don’t move an inch, Harry, or I’ll cut your Adam’s apple out and toss it to the dogs.’

‘You are very much mistaken, sir,’ said Scattergood, trying to brazen it out. ‘My name is Giles Clearwater and I’ll be taking an action against you for this grotesque slander.’

‘He can’t be Giles Clearwater,’ said Ruddock. ‘I proved it.’

‘Indeed, you did, Chevy,’ agreed Paul. ‘The one thing you didn’t realise was that the man who purloined that name was no less a person than Harry Scattergood.’ There was general amazement. ‘He persuaded his friend, Kinnaird, to pretend to be the assassin so that they could claim the reward.’

‘This is absolute nonsense,’ said Scattergood, haughtily.

‘It’s no use, Harry,’ warned Kinnaird. ‘Skillen knows everything.’

Scattergood tried to get away, but Paul was ready, sticking out a foot to trip him up then standing over him with the point of his sword at his captive’s throat once more. Scattergood was hissing like a snake.

‘Since you first found out that he was an impostor,’ said Paul, looking at Ruddock, ‘you should have the honour of arresting him.’ There was loud applause for Ruddock. ‘As for the rest of you, don’t always respect your leaders. Next time they criticise you, remind them that they were completely taken in by Harry Scattergood, one of the wiliest criminals in the whole of London.’

Yeomans and Hale cringed in the face of mocking laughter.

Before he accepted her judgement, Peter had questioned Kitty Denley at length. She was able to quote several instances of her husband vowing to kill Sir Roger Mellanby. After his embarrassing defeat in the duel, Hugh Denley had been even more determined to strike back at the politician. His wife knew for a fact that her husband had paid someone to gather information about the Radical Dandy’s private life. What Kitty couldn’t be certain about was whether or not Denley had been acting alone or in concert with one of the politician’s many enemies in Parliament.

Armed with the evidence she’d given him, Peter went to the wine merchant’s premises and asked to see him. Denley reluctantly agreed and soon wished that he hadn’t done so because his visitor was asking unsettling questions.

‘Do you admit that you had Sir Roger spied on?’ asked Peter.

‘That’s a wild accusation, Mr Skillen.’

‘It was made by Mrs Denley.’