Murder Most Royal

They’d somehow found out about her Home Office background and thought she was interested in suspicious accidents because of that. They didn’t connect it to Ned, or me, or you.’

‘That’s very reassuring,’ the Queen agreed. Katie was eager to help, but she didn’t have Rozie’s lightness of touch when required. The Queen wasn’t sure Rozie yet realised how good, and how very dependable, she was. ‘What about Valentine St Cyr? Is there any news?’

‘Yes, ma’am. The police are interested in the fact that Roland Peng’s initials are RLP.

‘Roland Peng, his business partner?’

‘In part, ma’am. I’ll come to that. It turns out that Valentine had more than one meeting with Ned last year. Interestingly, they hadn’t spotted them before because Ned put them in his diary as “VSC”. Usually he wrote names in full and locations as acronyms. But if VSC was a name, then perhaps RIP was one, too. And perhaps he miswrote it or it was just a feature of his handwriting, but he could have meant RLP. That’s what they’re looking into now.

‘So Ned might have arranged to meet Roland?’

‘Apparently. Roland claims to have been in business meetings both days, but there were gaps between them. He was, supposedly, with Valentine the night of the fourteenth. They are each other’s alibi.’

‘Yes, ma’am. That’s the thing. Flora told me on New Year’s Eve that they’re secretly engaged. She swore me to secrecy, too, but she was obviously very happy for them.’

‘Valentine and Roland?’

‘Yes. Roland proposed at Christmas.’ Rozie smiled.

‘When are they announcing it, do you know?’

Rozie noticed that the Queen was truly startled. She found the Boss generally much more open-minded than most people would suspect, but not this time. Her generation’s prejudices showed through. Rozie was disappointed.

‘In the summer. Flora said something about them getting used to the idea. It could be something to do with Roland’s family in Singapore. The baron’s been told. He took it pretty well, she said.

‘I wonder when they planned on telling me,’ the Queen said, more to herself than anything. ‘Do many other people know this “secret”?’

‘The police don’t. It’s not in any of the reports. I thought they looked very happy together at the visit. I wasn’t completely surprised when Flora told me.’

‘Weren’t you?’ the Queen said, peering at Rozie through her bifocals. ‘I admit, I am.