“Come anyway. I can drive. Lots of my sort of people drive themselves and bring their chauffeur along to watch the motor when they leave it. I’ll find you a peaked cap, and bob’s your uncle, as you would say.”

He looked at me, head to one side like a Cockney sparrow, then laughed again. “You’re a card, I’ll say that for you. Now, can you see a bloke like me at Balmoral, hobnobbing with royalty and gentry?”

“You’d only be hobnobbing with their servants and that might be a great help to me. You might be able to worm some information out of them about the shooting yesterday. Servants love to gossip. And how often would you have a chance to visit a royal palace?”

His smile had faded. “You really want me to come along, don’t you?”

“Yes, I’d like it very much. I feel more secure with you around.”

He frowned. “You don’t anticipate any more funny business, do you? Because if so, I don’t want you going near that place.”

“I’m going out riding with Princess Elizabeth. I’m sure we’ll be quite safe,” I said.

“All right, then. What are we waiting for? Where’s me titfer?”

“Your what?”

“Tit for tat. Hat. Rhyming slang. Ain’t I taught you nothing yet?”

Five minutes later we were breezing down the side of the loch. There was no sign of activity at the jetty. For one thing it was clearly too windy to attempt any trials of the speedboat; besides, its driver was under arrest and presumably facing charges in London. Poor Belinda, I thought. Then I changed my mind. From our last conversation it sounded as if she was growing tired of him. Besides, Belinda always landed on her feet. She’d be off to new pastures without a second glance back.

I left the loch behind and concentrated as the road climbed and wound through the mountains. The gatekeeper at Balmoral looked weary as he opened the gate for me. “So much coming and going, your ladyship,” he said with a dignified bow. “It’s been like Waverley Station at the rush hour. The police are here again. There’s men tramping all over the place.” And indeed I noticed a man standing not far from the driveway, watching us. Sir Jeremy and Darcy had already produced results, I thought with a sigh of relief. At least some investigation was being done.

At the castle I left Granddad guarding the estate car in the back stable yard, then was shown up to the princesses’ nursery where the two girls were busy playing with toy horses. Elizabeth leaped up with delight. “You’ve come!” she exclaimed, eyes glowing. “I was hoping and hoping that you would.” She turned to her governess. “Now may I go riding, Crawfie?”