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home.”
    “Divorce is certainly not an aspect of this case, Lily. I say again—murder may well be.”
    Joe’s old officer listened to her briefing, asking a few quick questions, and he nodded in relief when she accepted the task.
    “You never thought I’d say no, did you?”
    “You miss the work still, Lily? Oh, I know you’re happily in the married state, but I do note the sparkle in your eye when you catch the scent of the fox! By the way, Bacchus doesn’t know anything about this.”
    Lily gave him a pitying look. “Bet he does! That husband of mine knows everything about everybody. Including you, including me. Start from there. It can be frightening, but that’s how it is. You’ve conveniently sent him off to Berlin, sniffing out British Nazi sympathisers—or so I’m guessing … Bacchus tells me nothing—leaving the little wife to get up to all kinds of naughtiness.”
    “The children, Lily? Can I offer …?”
    “Taken care of. Aunty Phyl’s always glad to ride to the rescue and is well backed up by our Emma, who can always sleep over. Dick and Hattie send their love and wonder when they’re going to see their godfather again.”
    Joe smiled broadly. “Summer holidays coming up next month! I’m planning a children’s party—or at least, my sister’s planning a party—down in Surrey. Swimming, camping, tree-climbing, cakes and ice cream … that sort of thing. They must come.”
    “They’re very fond of you, Joe.” Lily looked at him with affection and concern. “You’re used to my bluntness, so I’ll say it: time you had kids of your own. Anyone on the horizon who might oblige?” She knew she was the only one who had ever been close enough to Joe to ask searching personal questions. His sister, Lydia, was very dear to him, but she received only edited and optimistic summaries of his London life. Lily, on the other hand, had never suffered from upper-class delicacy, and she reckoned that if you never asked, you never found out. He’d saved her from a nasty end in a swirling Thames whirlpool early on in their acquaintance and that had put him, paradoxically, forever in her debt. A life you’ve saved is doubly precious, and she knew he would grant her any favours. She would do the same for him andhoped he understood that—he would never have allowed her to speak the words.
    She was puzzled to see that a frown and a long silence preceded the smile as he replied cheerfully enough: “Oh, yes there is. The unlucky girl is Dorcas Joliffe. She’s well on this side of the horizon, in fact. Sailing into port, you might say. I don’t believe you’ve ever met her, though I’m sure you’ve heard me speak of her?”
    Eyes wide with astonishment, Lily could only nod.
    “Yes! That Joliffe!” he said, answering her thought. “And before you ask—she’s twenty-one these days, soon to be twenty-two. I tell people she’s the daughter of a neighbour and dear friend of mine, which she is. She’s also by way of being my sister’s ward. She’s been away … I mean, out of my life for seven years and only came back into it again in January. We were last together in … April, I suppose it was. The Easter break before she went back up to college for her final term. She’ll be wanting to tell us all how well or otherwise she did in her finals. She’s been trying to call me with her news for the last two days, but …” His voice trailed away as he heard himself turning querulous. “You know how it is.”
    “Good lord! Well, I never!” And, doubtfully, “Are you sure?”
    “Well, there you have it, Lily. No, I’m not sure. I mean about the future. She loves me, I love her. Always have. We’re having a very happy time and it’s all going to end eventually in marriage. But, but …”
    “You haven’t asked her yet, have you?” Lily said shrewdly.
    “Hole in one! No, I haven’t.”
    “Why on earth not? It’s not like you to be reticent. You can talk your way into or out of