Will had seen Kim like this before, speaking with a breathtaking fuck-you coldness. It was impressive in an unnerving sort of way, and it seemed to stun his old man into temporary silence. Will moved to the side of the room, leaned against the wall with his arms folded, and watched with interest.

Kim had gone on while his father was speechless. “There is a rope around Chingford’s neck. It may yet be a noose—”

“My son is not guilty!”

“And this is none of your bloody business!” Chingford snarled. “Keep your sneaking nose out of my affairs!”

Kim gave him a frozen look. “The sooner we have this conversation, the sooner I can leave. As I was saying: The rope around Chingford’s neck may be a noose. It may also be a snare.”

That at least got the Marquess listening. He levelled an unloving glare at his younger son. “Your meaning?”

“It is possible Chingford is the pawn in a bigger game. That he has been made to look guilty—”

“Of course I bloody have, you damn fool!”

“Quiet!” The old man’s voice was a whipcrack.

“That he has been made to look guilty, or at least guiltier than he is,” Kim repeated. “There is something else going on here. If I can unpick it, we may stand a chance.”

Lord Flitby took that in. “I want to know your intentions, Arthur.”

“I hope to find some means to get Chingford off the gallows. Which—”

Chingford’s bull-like snort interrupted him. “You? You want nothing more than to take my place, you creeping little shit!”

“I do not,” Kim said. “If you can do us all the courtesy of not being hanged for murder, I will be delighted never to darken these doors again. For that happy outcome, you need to start telling the truth. What did you argue with Fairfax about?”

“I said, it’s none of your bloody business. Are you deaf?”

“You are the chief suspect; your fingerprints are on the murder weapon; you had a violent row with the victim. You might as well paint ‘guilty’ in red on your forehead as refuse to talk.”

“I’ve a right to remain silent!”

“And the jury has a right to draw its conclusions from that silence, and they will hang you for it. Will you both listen to me? This is all a great deal more tangled than you know, and there are other elements at play. I may be able to do something with that, but not if I don’t know what actually happened.”

“What are you blethering about?” Chingford snapped.

Lord Flitby raised a thin hand for silence. “Stratton made certain assertions to me about your recent activities, Arthur. Professional activities. What truth was in that?”

Kim gave it a long moment before he replied. “I have spent several years working for a particular organisation in Whitehall. One that carries out confidential investigations on behalf of the powers that be.”