‘She’s a delightful lady.’ Kate came to a halt on the terrace at the back of the house. She perched on the balustrade where the twins had abandoned their attempts at making daisy chains. ‘Before we go indoors and I make the necessary introductions, please tell me why you came here today. What did Harry say to you?’

Perry stood with his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed into the distance. ‘This is a splendid old house. I’d take bets on the fact that you’re planning improvements both inside and outside.’

‘Don’t change the subject, Perry. The house doesn’t belong to me, although I do hate to see the garden in such a state, but we’ll only be here for a short time. Please answer my question – what did Harry say?’

‘He wants you to remain here for an indefinite period. I can’t say more than that because I’m not party to his dealings with the Metropolitan Police.’

‘So you don’t know whether they are closer to catching Monks?’

‘I believe they are closing in on him and his gang, but they need to have concrete evidence in order to bring a case against him. Simple affray wouldn’t be enough to convict him and his gang. Monks might be called mad, but he’s far from that. In fact, he’s very clever and extremely cunning, and he knows that Harry’s weak point is his mother, and now it’s you and your family, too.’

‘We are not connected in any way. You know very well that I only used the ground floor of his building to run the soup kitchen.’

‘Whether you like it or not, that made you an accomplice. Your charity worked was a perfect cover for him and his men. He might not be a villain like Monks, but Harry Trader was running illegal gaming establishments for at least seven years, and he made a fortune. Monks wants to take over his business and he’s prepared to fight for it.’

‘So you’ve just come all the way from London to tell me that we must stay on here. Is that so?’

‘Not entirely. That was Harry’s message, but I wanted to see you and make sure that you weren’t living in dire circumstances.’

‘We’re quite comfortable and Mrs Boggis keeps the house neat and clean, as if the family were still in residence.’

‘You said that your mother is unhappy here. There is a way that you could both return to London and still be safe.’

‘I know we will have to wait for the police to arrest Monks and his gang.’

‘Better than that, Kate. You could marry me and I would be there to protect you and your mother.’

‘You know my answer to that. I haven’t changed my mind.’