Phoebe put her arm round his waist. Maisie threaded hers around Will’s elbow and tugged him backwards, so Kim and Phoebe could pace a little way ahead. “They’ve got a bit of sorting out to do still.”

“But it’s all right?”

Maisie squeezed his arm. “Course. She understands.”

“Kim said she talked to his old man on the yacht.”

“She had time,” Maisie said darkly. “Since I was mostly trying to keep my stomach where God put it. She told him what it was like finding out about her father, what Zodiac were, and that as far as she was concerned, Kim did the right thing with him. Even if it wasn’t nice, or good, or easy for anyone.”

“That’s Kim.”

Maisie glanced up at him. Will gave her a wry grin. “I’m not complaining. I’d rather have right than easy.”

“Yes, you would,” Maisie said thoughtfully. “Are you going to see this DS man on Tuesday?”

“I reckon so.”

“Good. You wouldn’t want to get bored.”

Will looked up ahead to where Kim and Phoebe walked, dark hair and fair together in the golden afternoon light. Kim threw back his head and laughed at something, and Will felt need scrawl itself sharply across his chest, like a fingernail on bare skin. “I don’t think I’m in much danger of that.”

They spent the whole afternoon out there. They explored the gardens, and ridiculed the topiary, and went through the pine wood where Will and Kim re-enacted the attempted murder with an unexpected lurch into hilarity that left Phoebe weeping with laughter and Maisie so weak she had to sit on a log to recover herself.

Around six they returned to the house to dress for cocktails. Lord Flitby would not be joining them for dinner but had ordered a grand meal to be served in the dining room. Will wondered if that was an acknowledgement of the viscountess in their midst, or of Kim, or what. Hastings the butler even turned up with a set of evening clothes that fit Will pretty well. They probably belonged to an under-footman but he’d take it.

“And we should be able to go home tomorrow,” Kim said, adjusting Will’s bow tie for him. “The charges will be officially dropped then, DS says. You’ll be in the papers again, but at least more favourably.”

“So will you. Your family, anyway.”

“A great deal less favourably, but there we are.” Kim didn’t sound concerned as he tweaked the corners of the tie. “Perfect. I do like you in evening dress. Sophisticatedly thuggish, I believe I said once.”

“You did say that. You also said ‘plenty more where that came from’.”

“Misdirection,” Kim said unrepentantly.

“And you said I was getting greedy.”

“You’re planning to move up to a duke. The truth hurts.”

“How would you know?”