‘But not so desperately that Randall did the right thing by her,’ Riley remarked.
‘It wasn’t possible. The differences in their situations forbade it. Times were not as liberated then as they are now.’
‘And yet you frown upon Lady Randall’s relationship with Ezra,’ Riley said. ‘You’re a hypocrite, Gregg.’
‘The two situations are not the same at all. Lady Randall was simply amusing herself with Ezra and embarrassing Sir Philip in the process.’
‘Sir Philip being your half-brother, whose interests you would do just about anything to protect.’
‘Certainly I would. Short of committing murder, of course.’
‘You are dedicated to the man, but he doesn’t acknowledge you as his kin and you are left in a position of servitude. That must rankle,’ Riley said.
Gregg elevated his chin. ‘On the contrary, Sir Philip and I are confidants and friends.’
‘Which is why you can be so sure that he’s embarrassed by his wife’s conduct, one supposes,’ Riley said. ‘He told you as much.’
‘He has never made such an admission, not even to me, but I know him better than he knows himself and I am sure that he feels humiliated by her loose morals and wild behaviour.’
‘Wild behaviour?’ Riley affected a bemused expression. ‘My understanding is that no one outside of this house is aware of her association with Ezra, other than her children, and only Verity Randall seems concerned about it. When matters were reversed and it was the master of the house consorting with a servant, no one seemed outraged.’
Gregg stood rigidly to attention. ‘My mother’s situation and Lady Randall’s are entirely different.’
‘So you keep saying, but you have yet to explain how. Are we to suppose that your mother weren’t free with her favours then, and the master forced himself on her?’ Salter said fiercely.
‘Not at all, Sergeant. You’re twisting everything I say.’
‘Do you want to know what I think?’ Riley asked.
‘I feel sure you intend to tell me, sir.’
‘I think that Lady Randall’s dalliances were known about, at least by you, Sir Philip and the immediate family, but they never lasted for long, so you all turned a blind eye. But with Ezra it was different. Not only was the affair taking place beneath Sir Philip’s roof—quite blatantly, I might add—but it was also becoming serious. It had already lasted longer than most, and you got wind of the fact that Lady Randall was putting money, a large amount of money, into a scheme of Ezra’s.’
‘Incorrect. I know nothing about investments.’
‘Well,’ Riley continued, ignoring the interruption that had been at best half-hearted and certainly lacked conviction, ‘I said the affair was taking place beneath Sir Philip’s roof, but it isn’t actually his, is it? It’s Lady Randall’s. You watched with disapproval, waiting for the affair to run its course and for permission to dismiss Ezra, but it only seemed to get more intense. There was a very real possibility that Lady Randall’s affections were engaged this time, and that she would throw her husband over in favour of a footman. Only imagine the scandal and what it would do to your master’s career.’
‘You have a lively imagination, Chief Inspector,’ Gregg said stiffly.
‘I am not paid to imagine anything. I deal in facts, but nothing I have just said to you goes against any of the evidence that we have thus far unearthed.’
‘Even so, the only crime I am guilty of is total loyalty to my master.’ Gregg folded his hands in front of him and thrust his shoulders back. ‘And I look upon that as a virtue.’
‘Where were you on the night Ezra was killed?’ Riley asked.
‘Where I always am. Below stairs, either in my pantry or my private quarters. I always wait up to lock the house if the master and mistress are out, as they were that evening. They arrived home at about ten o’clock.’
‘What time did James return from his afternoon off?’
Gregg hesitated for the first time and looked a little alarmed. ‘I cannot recall.’
Salter shrugged himself off the wall and walked to the table in front of Gregg, slapping the flat of his hand down hard against its polished surface. ‘We don’t believe you,’ he said, leaning into Gregg’s face, ‘and if you can’t refresh your memory here, we can always finish this conversation at Scotland Yard.’
‘I didn’t see him come back, so I cannot tell you what I don’t know,’ Gregg replied, struggling to regain his dignity. ‘But he was definitely here. I saw him myself at about eleven o’clock, so he would obviously have come back some time before that.’
‘Very well, Gregg,’ Riley said. ‘You may go. For now.’
‘Whaddya think, sir?’ Salter asked, as they waited for Peterson to send James to them.
‘I am more confused than ever,’ Riley admitted. ‘He doesn’t seem to mind being subservient in his half-brother’s house and is genuinely loyal, that much is obvious. But he also doesn’t approve of Lady Randall and despised the fact that Ezra could do as he pleased, leaving Gregg in the invidious position of having no authority over him. That would drive a man of Gregg’s ilk demented.’
‘And he will have all the necessary keys to let himself in and out of the house,’ Salter added. ‘But if he was here to let his master and mistress in at ten, he would have been pushed to get to Clapham and kill Ezra, who was last seen alive at about eleven.’
‘Difficult but not impossible. Ezra was seen leaving that tavern at eleven, but he may not have died immediately. We don’t know if he had an assignation after that. Maynard reckons that if he was poisoned, the effects would have been slight, he could still have functioned, and he can’t be precise about the actual time of death. If could have occurred an hour or more after he left the tavern.’
‘But he
