The word seemed to repeat in a hiss around the room. There was nothing that could have been more damning for a person of Sir Percy’s calibre than to feel fear at the sight of a revolver held in a woman’s hand.

Lord Lynche walked towards the bell-pull and gave it a sharp tug.

“A carriage will be ordered immediately,” he said. “Will you ask for anything you may require to make your patient more comfortable, doctor?”

“Thank you, my Lord.”

The doctor walked briskly from the room and, as soon as he had gone, the silence that had encompassed everyone since Carina and Lord Lynche appeared on the landing was broken.

The guests laughed and talked amongst themselves and then most of them almost instinctively seemed to gravitate towards the card tables.

There was a grog table at that end of the room and Carina saw them go up one after another to help themselves as if they were in need of sustenance and stimulation after what had occurred before they could return to normal life.

After a second or so Carina and Lord Lynche were left alone at the other end of the drawing room.

Lord Lynche suddenly sat down beside her on the sofa, sitting forward so that he was between her and the rest of the room, a protective shield from anyone who might now have felt he was no longer inhibited from looking at her.

“I have failed,” Carina said a little wistfully.

“No, you have succeeded,” Lord Lynche answered. “You have inflicted on him a far worse punishment than death and you have prevented him from ever robbing anyone else as he has robbed your father and me.”

“Will he still keep everything?” Carina asked.

“I will not begrudge it him,” Lord Lynche said, “for I have a feeling that Percy would give it all up for the use of his right arm.”

“I feel deflated,” Carina said. “I was ready – to go to prison.”

“You have done something that even Percy’s death might not have accomplished,” Lord Lynche said. “You have made his friends see that he is, after all, a chicken-hearted chap. They will never forget that he fainted from fear. And laughter is harder to bear than even a disability.”

“He will keep Claverly and he will have The Castle,” Carina said. “I hoped to prevent him ever enjoying such things again.”

She saw the expression on Lord Lynche’s face.

“You are remembering that you have not told your mother,” she said intuitively.

“I know,” he answered. “I must go now and talk to my lawyer and then I must be brave and face her. Your courage will give me the strength for that.”

“Oh, don’t talk about my courage,” Carina said. “I feel ashamed and rather foolish. I have tried to do so much, and achieved – well, nothing.”

Lord Lynche did not answer and after a moment Carina asked in a low voice,