‘If I do find him,’ said Ruddock, hopefully, ‘and he does give us information that leads to an arrest, does that mean I get a share of the reward money?’ The stony face of Micah Yeomans was an answer in itself. ‘I’d better be on my way, then …’

In the interests of his safety, he fled from the inn.

They found Dorothea Glenn at her lodging, a rather grim, cheerless room at the top of a crumbling house. In concealing the truth from her, Paul and Hannah felt that they were being cruel in order to be kind. They were also being practical. If they’d told her that her beloved had been stabbed to death in an alleyway, the young actress would have been inconsolable. She’d have been in such despair that they’d have been unable to get the crucial information they needed out of her. Since she refused to believe that Price would ever let her down, she’d come to accept that something serious must have happened to delay him. Hannah soon convinced her that it was wrong to put herself through the agony of waiting alone in the vain hope that he’d turn up, and that she should return to their house where she’d have someone to look after her. Paul, meanwhile, would go in search of the truth about what had actually happened to Orsino Price. The promise brought tears to Dorothea’s eyes.

‘Would you really do that, Mr Skillen?’ she asked.

‘Yes, I would,’ said Paul.

‘But you hardly know me. Why should you care about somebody like me?’

‘You’re a friend of Hannah’s. That’s enough for me.’

‘I can’t thank you enough,’ she cried, grasping his hands.

‘Paul will need your help,’ said Hannah. ‘If he’s to track down Orsino, he’ll want details about him that only you have. We’ve no wish to intrude on your private life, Dorothea, but I’m afraid that it’s unavoidable.’

‘I’ll tell you everything.’

‘That’s very sensible.’

‘First of all,’ said Paul, ‘let’s get you back to the house. We can offer you comforts that this lodging of yours clearly lacks. More importantly, you’ll have friends beside you to help you through whatever lies ahead.’

Even with the intervention of the Home Secretary’s brother, Peter had a wait of half an hour before he was conducted to the appropriate office. As he approached it, he passed the man who’d just left Sidmouth. Peter gave him no more than a cursory glance but, in return, he was the object of close scrutiny. The man stopped, stared and exuded an immediate hostility. When Peter turned to face the other visitor, the latter made a dismissive gesture with his hand, then walked off. Peter was bewildered.

The moment he entered the office, however, the incident was forgotten because Sidmouth came across to greet him with an outstretched hand.