‘Of course. Sorry, Inspector, I presumed you knew, and that was why you were visiting today.’

‘My apologies for my ignorance, and also my belated condolences,’ Jazz spluttered, colour rising in her cheeks.

‘Why on earth should you have known? Adele and Charlie are both “Cavendishes”, due to that ghastly man she chose to marry. It’s understandable you haven’t yet had time to investigate Charlie’s family tree. As a matter of fact, Adele is coming to see me this week. We have to discuss what on earth we’re going to do with this damned place now Charlie’s gone. He was our sole heir. There are no other living male relatives. Lot of them got wiped out in the Second World War and the ones who survived all had girls.’

‘So, Adele is . . .’

‘My sister, yes. Thirteen years younger than me, I might add, and fifteen years younger than Corin. She was only eleven when he died.’

‘So why won’t she inherit the estate?’ Miles queried.

‘I’m sure the Equal Opportunities Commission will one day rule that females can inherit titles and estates, but at present, primogeniture is the law. The heir has to be male. Therefore the Conaught line seems to have come to rather an abrupt end a few days ago.’

‘I see, Sir.’ Miles nodded.

‘Your sister Adele, does she have a cottage in Cley?’ asked Jazz.

‘No. When she visits Norfolk she stays here, of course. There’s plenty of room.’ Edward smiled wryly. ‘Why do you ask?’

‘I saw her in Cley unloading some shopping a few days ago.’

‘Really?’ Probably on one of her charitable missions, food parcels to the elderly, or simply visiting a friend, although I’m surprised she didn’t let me know she was here in Norfolk. However, I’m not my sister’s keeper.’

‘No,’ Jazz replied shortly, as Edward looked set to continue.

‘I suppose you are now thinking it does raise the question of why both Charlie, and Hugh Daneman, who, like it or not, had a connection to this family, should both be found dead within a few days of each other.’

‘Yes, but the fact there is a connection gives me a new line of enquiry.’

‘His mother told me Charlie died of anaphylactic shock. Is that true?’ asked Edward.

‘It is. We’re currently doing our best to establish how he came to swallow the aspirin that killed him. Could you tell me, from an uncle’s point of view, your opinion of him?’

Edward paused for thought. Finally he said, ‘He was very like his father, for whom I had no time whatsoever. There. Does that answer your question?’

‘Yes. But you were still prepared to hand over the Conaught Estate on your death?’

‘My dear lady, can you imagine the generations of fathers who have looked at their heirs in despair? My father was relatively progressive; he decided to hand the estate to me rather than my elder brother, but he had a choice. The family name and lineage is more important than anything else in these situations. Even if I had little time for Charlie, who’s to say he wouldn’t grow into a fine master of the estate and have a set of strapping sons? Perhaps the place could have done with an injection of aggressive capitalism. We’re in the new millennium after all. The responsibility made a man of me. It may have made one of Charlie, too.’