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tell you, Mr Flynn. You guessed.’
    Mr Flynn let out a long, anguished sigh and looked pleadingly at the ceiling.
    Julius waited until he had composed himself.
    ‘And the orchid?’ said Mr Flynn.
    ‘I think I might have given it to her.’

CHAPTER 4

    Friday 19th January 1838
    10:37 AM
    ‘That girl will be the death of me,’ said Mr Flynn, as he strode across Blackfriars Bridge. A cold wind blew across their path, flapping the tails of Mr Flynn’s winter coat. He pushed his top hat low over his brow to keep it on.
    ‘You won’t tell Emily I told you, will you?’ said Julius, running along beside him.
    Mr Flynn did not reply.
    ‘Grandfather gave her a good telling off,’ said Julius.
    Mr Flynn still did not reply.
    By the time they reached Paradise Row, Julius felt as empty as the streets they had travelled.
    ‘She was sorry for stealing the diary,’ said Julius.‘She won’t do it again.’
    ‘She’d better not,’ said Mr Flynn. ‘We’ll wait, here. Abberline’s beat passes this way.’ He dug his hands into his pockets and sheltered in a doorway.
    The minutes ticked by. Mr Flynn stared at the wall across the street. Julius shivered.
    ‘Here he is,’ said Julius, when he spied a figure in a police uniform, top hat and cape coming towards them. The man walked with that relaxed, swinging stride adopted by the peelers walking long beats in heavy boots.
    Mr Flynn stepped out from the doorway and tipped his hat.
    The constable’s face broke into a wide smile. ‘Strike me down,’ he said, with a touch of a West Country accent. ‘It’s Mr Flynn.’ He tapped the rim of his top hat with his forefinger by way of salute.
    ‘Constable Abberline, the very man,’ said Mr Flynn. ‘You’re well, I trust?’ He extended his hand to the constable, who shook it vigorously.
    ‘Very well, thank you, Mr Flynn,’ said Abberline. ‘I’ve been practising those moves you showed me.’
    ‘Glad to hear it, Constable,’ said Mr Flynn.
    ‘Watch out.’ The constable ducked into a boxing stance and jabbed a lightning fast punch towards Mr Flynn’s chin and then twisted at the hip to aim a punch at his solar plexus.
    Mr Flynn was too quick, though. He blocked thepunch with his left elbow and swung his right arm to tap the constable’s top hat just enough to dislodge it without knocking it off.
    The constable laughed as he straightened his hat.
    ‘Not bad,’ said Mr Flynn.
    Constable Abberline raised his eyebrows in good-natured disbelief. ‘Who’s this young man,’ he said, nodding towards Julius.
    ‘Allow me to introduce Julius Caesar Higgins,’ said Mr Flynn.
    The constable eagerly shook Julius’s hand. ‘Hello, my lad,’ he said. ‘Any friend of Mr Flynn, and all that. Mr Flynn’s all right with me and that means you are too.’
    ‘Yes…er, thank you, sir,’ said Julius.
    ‘We’re not meeting by chance, Constable Abberline,’ said Mr Flynn.
    Abberline’s smile remained on his face. ‘I surmised as much, Mr Flynn. People don’t loiter in cold doorways for no reason. Something’s come up has it?’
    ‘You could say that,’ said Mr Flynn. He took The Times from his coat pocket. It was folded with the orchid report to the outside. ‘It’s about this,’ said Mr Flynn.
    Abberline glanced at the newspaper. ‘Yes, the lads at the station have been giving me a good old ribbing about it.’
    ‘The thing is…’ said Mr Flynn.
    ‘Go on,’ said Abberline.
    ‘Julius’s grandfather received a visit at his bookshop last night,’ said Mr Flynn. ‘From an odd fella named Tock.’
    Abberline’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at Julius. ‘Tock, you say? Where have I heard that name before?’
    ‘He was looking for a diary written by a Mr Darwin,’ said Mr Flynn.
    ‘Now there’s a coincidence,’ said Abberline.
    ‘And the fella had Rapple and Baines with him.’
    ‘That pair? Go on.’
    ‘When they took the diary they left an orchid as a parting gift.’
    ‘Odd.’
    ‘Very.’
    ‘And