‘Your delay in telling me of the letter is inexcusable,’ exclaimed Holmes. ‘It changes everything.’

‘My son—’ began Lamb.

‘Her fears were expressed in confidence, Father. During confession,’ cried Buttons. He turned to Holmes. ‘My vows do not permit …’

Holmes exhaled in impatience. He stood up. ‘Mr Buttons, if a life is at stake, surely the most pious member of the Church would use common sense to take action.’ He turned to face the older man. ‘Isn’t that right, Father Lamb?’

The priest’s face betrayed sadness and a certain resignation. ‘It is a loaded question, Mr Holmes, and one that has been debated over the years,’ said he. ‘Largely, the sanctity of the confession is one to which we cleave quite literally and in all instances.’ He turned to the younger man. ‘My son, we will discuss this at length later today.’

‘Shall we?’ continued the priest, indicating the door. ‘Mr Holmes, Dr Watson,’ he continued, ‘it appears that you have been summoned to Cambridge under false pretences. And that the family of this young lady, a not unimportant one in the hierarchy of the University, I might add, have been unduly alarmed, all in the service of reassuring Deacon Buttons that an excitable member of his flock is unharmed.’

‘At least at present she is unharmed,’ said Holmes.

‘Where is she, sir?’ blurted the young cleric. ‘Please!’

Holmes gave Buttons a sharp look. ‘I wondered if she might have thrown the doll herself, but she had not,’ said he. ‘My suspicion naturally then fell to you. Is there anything else you have managed to leave out? How did the arm part company with the body of the doll?’

Buttons looked uncertainly at his mentor. ‘I, er, don’t know about that,’ he said. ‘I left the doll on the Jesus Lock bridge, hoping she would see it. The next I saw it, it was in the lock with the arm missing.’

Holmes glowered at the boy. ‘Is this precisely true?’

‘Yes, sir. She did offer me one thing, Father. May I share this with Mr Holmes?’ begged the deacon. ‘I fear for the young lady, I really do.’

Lamb sighed. ‘Use your judgement, my son. She has been found safe, remember?’

‘Share, young man, and be quick about it,’ said Holmes. ‘You have wasted my time enormously.’

Peregrine Buttons continued to struggle. The moral dilemma of this young clergyman seemed the height of hypocrisy even to me. He had lied to Holmes and gone to great trouble to create a false alarm that caused anguish to at least the girl’s mother, even as it set Holmes on the case. Surely that in itself was some kind of sin.

‘She said she was feeling a great deal of pressure to become engaged. That the pressure had put her near breaking point.’