‘On Friday, I did not go to Glasgow. I travelled instead to Tayport, where Janet lived. I arrived at the cottage on the shore and was greeted at the door by a girl. I realised she was Janet’s sister, poor soul, she is rather simple. Though I’d met her once before, she did not want to speak to me at first, for it was obvious she had something to hide. Eventually I got it out of her that her father, a mussel fisherman, had been at home on that fated Sunday when Janet had returned to pack. He is a violent man and so she had tried to avoid an encounter with him. She thought he would be at church, but he was at home, nursing a hangover. That Sunday was the day we were to meet at Leuchars station to take the train for Edinburgh and thence to Liverpool for the ship to Tasmania.’

Robert stopped speaking and turned abruptly to his wife. ‘There is something else, Ann, something important. She was with child.’

‘Oh, dear God.’

‘Yes, she was expecting our child. It was all to be so good, a new life down in Australia, but then…’ His shoulders slumped and he yawned widely.

Good, thought Ann, the tincture is taking effect.

‘According to the sister, who was hiding, unseen, her father noticed her condition; how could he not, though she was some four months from delivery, she was slender as a willow. So she told him the father of her child was a great man, of reputable family, wealthy, a man who would make a lady of her and…’

‘What, like he made of his wife? His wife, Robert, not some maid with loose morals!’ Her voice rose to a crescendo. ‘Who beds you without a thought for his family at home.’

They both looked around, but there was no one to hear.

Robert shook his head. ‘You see, my dear, you have still never quite lost the cadence of the mill worker you are deep inside.’

‘And you, Robert, have lost none of the priggish arrogance of your privileged background.’ She wanted to slap him but clenched her hands together; she must wait.

‘Mr Clark was so angry with Janet, he swung his fist at her and she fell and hit her head on the stone floor. She…’ He stopped and snivelled. ‘She died at once.’ Robert was wringing his hands.

‘So why did no one know anything of this? Surely it should have been reported?’

‘No, nothing was done, according to the sister.’

‘But, forgive me, Robert, I fail to understand how the body ended up in the Tay Bridge Station mortuary?’