‘Then it’s settled,’ said Jack, glad to hear such happy news for a change. ‘We leave aboard the Hosiander. But there’s one thing I must do first.’

‘Are you sure this is worth the risk?’ whispered Akiko, as they crouched in the darkness of the rear garden of Sir Henry’s London residence. Yori kept guard while Jack tried to jemmy open the mansion’s back door. The Strand was quiet at this late hour, except for nightwatchmen with their sticks and lanterns patrolling the broad paved streets (the more disreputable characters preferring to lurk in the narrow lanes and shadowy alleys of the inner city).

‘If we’re to sail safely and swiftly back to Japan, I have to recover my father’s rutter,’ replied Jack, forcing his knife into the gap between the door frame and the lock. ‘Without it, I’m half the pilot my father was – damn this door!’ He swore as the knife slipped and sliced across his finger. He put the cut to his mouth. ‘We should have brought Rose and her cutpurse skills along.’

‘Let me try,’ said Akiko, taking the knife from Jack. She gently inserted the blade into the lock recess, then tapped the hilt and the door popped smoothly open.

Jack stared at her in astonishment. ‘You’ve obviously done that before! And you were hard on Rose to start with for being a thief!’

‘Well, we’re not technically stealing anything,’ said Akiko, a mischievous smile upon her lips. She handed him back his knife. ‘Only retrieving what is rightfully yours.’

Leaving her expert burglary skills a mystery, Jack sheathed his knife and crept inside. Akiko made to follow, but Jack shook his head. ‘Best if I go. I know where I hid the rutter. It’ll be quicker and quieter if I go alone.’

Akiko crouched back down. ‘All right, but if you’re gone longer than a few minutes, I’ll come and find you.’

‘Watch out for any servants!’ hissed Yori, his eyes flitting round the gloom of the garden. ‘I think I saw candlelight on the second floor.’

‘Don’t worry,’ replied Jack, shooting his friend a wink. ‘I’ll be back before you can say arigato gozaimasu!’