‘I have business to attend to, Mr Hale. When he does arrive, you may tell him that Giles Clearwater called to see him with information that might possibly lead to the arrest of Sir Roger Mellanby’s killer. It is not, I do assure you, a pack of lies. I can lay claim to an advantage that none of your fraudsters can match.’

‘And what is it, Mr Clearwater?’

‘I was there at the time.’

Hales gaped. ‘You were outside the stage door?’

‘I was indeed,’ said Scattergood, grandly. ‘I was part of a crowd that saw the Prince Regent arrive with two bodyguards.’ He stared hard at Hale. ‘One of them, in fact, looked rather like you.’

‘It was me. Mr Yeomans and I were on royal duty.’

‘Shortly after you arrived, I heard someone cry out in agony. Then a fatal shot was fired. It was far too close for comfort. Like everyone else there, I took to my heels – but not before I’d seen the man holding the pistol.’

‘Who was he?’

‘I prefer to talk to Mr Yeomans. There’s far too much disbelief swirling in your eyes. I’ll return when I can count on a fairer hearing. Good day, Mr Hale.’

‘Wait …’

‘I’ll report you to your superior in due course.’

Before he could be stopped, Scattergood flounced out of the inn and left Hale with the uneasy feeling that he’d just made an embarrassing mistake.

After a visit to his bank, the assassin returned to his lodging so that he could count out the money he’d just withdrawn. He was seething with rage. The actor he’d employed had set a high price on his silence and his demand simply had to be met. When he’d finished counting, he reached for a pen and wrote a curt note to the man.

The deadly transaction had been set in motion.

It was the second time that Paul Skillen had heard the name. According to Kitty Denley, the man Sir Roger Mellanby viewed as a major threat to his life was called the Doctor. Paul knew at once that it was Henry Addington, Viscount Sidmouth, the incumbent Home Secretary. Captain Golightly had also mentioned him. It had startled Paul at first because – even though he’d never met Sidmouth – he’d always thought well of him. There was a family connection. During the Napoleonic Wars, his brother, Peter, had worked as one of Sidmouth’s agents in France and spoke often of the Home Secretary’s intelligence, commitment and quiet efficiency. Could a man with such integrity really be implicated in the murder of a Member of Parliament? Paul was unconvinced.

‘Are you sure that that was the name he mentioned, Mrs Denley?’

‘Yes, Mr Skillen. I was shocked at first.’