‘I’m here, Mrs Cavendish, because I’d like you to tell me about your relationship with Sebastian Frederiks.’

Adele Cavendish put a hand to her brow and sighed heavily.

‘Oh God. Sebastian said it would come out eventually.’ Then she looked up at Jazz with a mixture of admiration and horror. ‘How did you find out?’

‘That hardly matters, Mrs Cavendish. And really, your personal life is not my business. However, you can understand how it would be remiss of me not to investigate any relationship between the mother of a victim and his housemaster. Shall we sit down?’ Jazz suggested.

‘Yes, of course.’ Adele perched on the arm of the sofa and Jazz sank into an ancient chintz-covered chair.

‘In your own time, Mrs Cavendish.’

Adele took a deep breath. ‘It began very slowly, really. I got to know Sebastian because he was Charlie’s housemaster. Charlie was always in one scrape or another, and in the first year Sebastian had reason to call me more often than perhaps he would other parents.’

‘Was he sympathetic towards Charlie?’

‘I wouldn’t say overtly, but perhaps more importantly, he understood him. In short, he knew exactly how to handle him, which is more than his father ever did.’

‘So, when did your relationship with Mr Frederiks start to change?’

Adele blushed. ‘Well, he’d brought the boys for a sailing weekend on Rutland Water, very near where I live. William was away somewhere and I suggested to Charlie that he bring his eight friends round for supper on the Saturday night. Sebastian came too. They’d had a fantastic day on the water and were in very high spirits . . . It was the most fun I’d had in a long time . . .’ Adele gave an ironic smile. ‘I’m not as stuffy as I look, Inspector, but one ends up subjugating one’s true self to fit in with one’s life and spouse.’

Jazz nodded in agreement. She knew all about that.

‘Anyway, I suppose we all had a little too much to drink. And Sebastian was making me laugh – he can be very witty when he wants to be – and I was clearing up in the kitchen whilst the boys were watching a DVD in the snug when Sebastian came in to help. We chatted away and . . . I realised he was actually listening to me.’ She smiled fondly. ‘He seemed to be interested in what I had to say. So, when it was time to take the boys back to the bed and breakfast, Sebastian suggested we should continue our conversation over dinner sometime, so he could repay my hospitality to him and the boys. I presumed he was just being polite. After all, he is seven years younger than me.’

‘So, he called you?’ Jazz prompted.

‘Yes, he did, about three days later. He suggested lunch actually, said he felt it was more appropriate under the circumstances. I’d just bought this cottage, to give me somewhere to stay when I visited Norfolk to watch Charlie in rugby matches and other school events. I do so hate staying at the hall – it’s like a morgue: so cold. So I was up here in Norfolk quite a bit putting things straight.’