She reached to turn off the light. First thing tomorrow morning, if she had not heard from him, she would call the number Detective Inspector Hunter had given her before.

‘Come in, Mr Frederiks. I hope the journey wasn’t too strenuous? Robert Sanders.’ The solicitor shook Sebastian’s hand.

‘Not at all. It’s rather nice to come up to town once in a while. I did my teacher training in Wimbledon, as a matter of fact, and sometimes I wonder why I went back to Norfolk, but,’ Sebastian shrugged, ‘that was what fate decreed.’

‘Do sit down.’ Sanders indicated a chair in front of his partner’s desk. ‘Tea or coffee?’

‘Coffee would be splendid, thank you.’ Sebastian sat quietly, taking in the beautiful oak-panelled office with its huge Georgian windows overlooking Grosvenor Square. Sebastian was amazed a quiet schoolteacher such as Hugh could afford a practice as upmarket as this.

‘So, Mr Frederiks, were you aware that Mr Daneman had left you a bequest in his will?’

‘Absolutely not. I’ve known Hugh for over thirty years. He taught me as a pupil at St Stephen’s, then when I joined the staff, we became fellow teachers.’

‘Well.’ Sanders picked up a heavy vellum sheet of paper and put on his reading glasses. ‘Apart from his manuscripts, which are very valuable and have been left to the British Library, and one other bequest, he’s left the rest of his estate to you.’

Sebastian gasped. ‘To me? Why? Surely he has family that will be expecting to inherit?’

‘No. It seems that he had no other living relatives. The estate is not enormous, but it does comprise a flat in Kensington and some cash and insurance policies, which amount to a little over two hundred thousand pounds. Ah, Sophie, put the tray down on the desk and we’ll help ourselves.’

Sebastian tried hard to suppress the surge of inevitable excitement. He watched the attractive young secretary place the tray on the desk, then leave.

‘I’ll pour, shall I? Milk and sugar?’ Sanders asked.

‘Thank you. Did, er, Hugh ever explain to you why he was leaving his estate to me?’

Mr Sanders passed Sebastian his coffee. ‘No. Mine is not to question why. Though having known Hugh for over thirty years, I trust that his final wishes were as carefully thought through as the decisions he made in life.’

‘Well, well.’ Sebastian lifted the cup to his lips and slurped the hot coffee.

‘As executor, I will be handling probate. If you wish, to keep it simple, I’d be happy to act for you too.’

‘That’s very kind of you, Mr Sanders. You say there’s a flat in Kensington?’

‘Yes. It may well be leasehold, with only a few years to run. Many flats were leasehold in the sixties, and the owners didn’t bother to renew when they should, but if you wish, I can look into that for you, too.’

‘If you would, Mr Sanders. I’m no expert on matters legal. I’m a simple schoolteacher who lives in a rented house.’