‘Threats will get you nowhere, Mr Eden-Summers. The police are soon to arrive and will take you in for questioning. They’ll be considerably less patient than I.’

‘How do they know this drowned … person … is Dillie?’

‘Watson attended the post-mortem and confirmed the identity,’ said Holmes.

‘It was she,’ I said.

Eden-Summers nodded. ‘My God. That is a shame. A shame and a loss. She was—’ Here he paused. ‘She was … a fine girl. A very fine girl indeed.’ I saw no trace of tears. And an odd turn of phrase for one’s fiancée, I thought.

Holmes smiled. ‘I will need the names of your “Dalliers”. Everyone who was here and could vouch for you. I will, of course, have to confirm your presence here during the time of her death.’

‘Then you believe it was murder!’

Holmes said nothing.

‘You must believe so, else why be here? What makes you think it was a murder and not some kind of terrible accident? You said “drowned”. Where? Might she have fallen into—’

‘Fallen in? No.’

‘Dillie was an adventurous girl.’

‘There were marks. She struggled with someone.’

The boy shook his head. ‘But Dillie was a formidable young lady. Strong. Unafraid. I cannot imagine her being easily overcome.’

‘She was not easily overcome.’

These words hit their target. ‘Oh, my God! Dillie! I must wire my father. He – he – he will be …’ The boy paused. ‘But my mother will be relieved, I suppose.’

‘Relieved that your fiancée was murdered?’ I could not hold back this exclamation.

‘Then it was a murder! No, of course not relieved about that. But relieved that the wedding is off. She did not like Odelia. Our marriage was my father’s idea.’ He paused, his eyes going glassy once more. ‘Although no one would have wished … Dillie,’ he said softly. ‘Oh, Dillie.’ He looked up sharply. ‘And the scandal. What of the ring? The ring I gave her?’

‘There was no ring on the body,’ I said.

‘No ring! Perhaps in her rooms?’

‘No. What did it look like?’ asked Holmes.

‘A … an enormous diamond. Several smaller ones, and two serious emeralds. My aunt’s ring. Family heirloom. My father will have my head.’

‘Why your aunt’s ring, and not your mother’s?’

Eden-Summers shook his head, attempting to clear it. He looked up suddenly at his interlocutor with a new resolve. ‘Because she is still wearing it, old boy. What of my other ring? Gold. No jewels but a simple golden arrow? I gave it to her a month ago. Though she never wore it.’

‘No ring of any sort was found.’

The boy’s face fell, and his eyes filled with tears. ‘Dillie.’

Holmes stared at him a moment, then said to my surprise, ‘I believe you are innocent, Mr Eden-Summers. Let us help to prove it. Dr Watson can examine you in private and confirm there are no signs of a struggle.’