“Forgive me for not anticipating your arrival. I wasn’t aware you knew my address.”

“Your telephone is disconnected. I might have thought you would have sufficient family feeling to make yourself available.”

“My regrets. What do you want, sir?”

“You spoke of acting on your brother’s behalf. What have you achieved?”

“A good question,” Kim said. The springs above Will shifted and Kim’s bare feet hit the floor. “I have confirmation that the man Fairfax was a blackmailer and a criminal.”

“What good do you call that?”

A rustle of silk suggested Kim was putting on a gown. “That very much depends what more I find out. At the least, he had other victims—”

“Other than whom? What are you implying?”

“Other than Chingford, sir,” Kim said patiently.

“Chingford was not being blackmailed.”

A flat statement that invited no discussion. Will blinked at the underside of the bed. Kim spoke carefully. “Sir, he refuses to admit what they argued about, and Fairfax had blackmailed another man in the Club the previous day. The conclusion is obvious. The jury will certainly draw it.”

“Then those matters must not be presented to the jury.”

Will’s lips soundlessly shaped You what? Kim said, “Unfortunately, the prosecution will present whatever evidence it pleases. Our best chance—”

“Your brother’s life cannot be left to chance. This so-called strategy of allowing twelve common men to decide his fate—”

“It’s the law of the land.”

“Don’t interrupt! It is unacceptable for Chingford to stand trial in these circumstances. I cannot countenance it.”

“Your countenance will not be sought, sir. The only way to avoid Chingford facing trial is to make the case that someone else killed Fairfax.”

“Can you do that?” the Marquess demanded.

Kim exhaled. “I don’t know, sir. It rather depends on whether he did it.”

“He has given me his word he did not. That will suffice.”

“For you, absolutely. However, the Director of Public Prosecutions—”

“He did not do it!” the Marquess shouted.

“Excellent.” Kim’s voice had the tight edge to it that suggested fraying nerves. “Then he can face his trial and be triumphantly acquitted.”

“No! Appearances are against him. The jury will draw the wrong conclusions. You said so yourself.”

“They will draw conclusions from the evidence they’re shown,” Kim said. “Sir, as Stratton told you yesterday, Chingford needs to start cooperating. If he didn’t do it—”

“He did not!”

“—then we will be in a better position to find the actual culprit. If—and I beg you will take this as a hypothetical—if he did, he will need to be frank with the police and the court if we are to have a chance of reducing this to manslaughter. Any jury will sympathise with the victim of a blackmailer.”

“He did not do it, he will not confess, and he will not stand trial,” the Marquess said, no contradiction brooked. “His private affairs are not public property.”