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“His name?”

There was a pause “Do you mean it’s a woman?” Sebastian couldn’t keep the excitement out of his voice “Mrs Slater is your master, isn’t she? She’s the one who told you to , Hal!”

Hal looked away and said nothing

“Is she here in the village? Where can I find her?”

Hal’s face looked pale and wretched in the glooht “She’s not here She’s in Lon’on, safely hid, and I can’t tell you where, so don’ ask She’s enuine misery “I didn’ want to leave you in t’mire, and that’s the truth, sir”

“Then why did you, Hal?”

“She told us as t’make it look like an accident”

“By ‘us’ I presume you mean you and your son?”

“Aye”

“Where is he now?”

“Jed’s gone back to Lon’on He only coela He followed you,” he added, with a hint of his old spark, “and you never even knew it I thought you was a man with eyes in the back of his head, Mr Thorne? He showed you, eh?”

“I’ll congratulate him when I see him,” Sebastian said, icily

He tried to think, but his head was buzzing Mrs Slater—Angela Slater—was alive! And she was on his home turf, in London That made it all so ht the children here to Yorkshire all those years ago—because she had family in this area and felt safe

More worrying was the fact that Hal’s son had followed hi to come to Yorkshire? And ot here? Who had told Mrs Slater that, after all these years, so for her? As far as Sebastian was concerned, only he and Aphrodite knew the details of his assign he’d do when he returned to London was visit her and ask her who else knew

“I despise that woman,” Hal muttered, and Sebastian realized he s girls, young girls, and sells theainst being drawn into that world, I told hiht of being rich lured him, like a fox to the laone to work for Cousin Angela Some days I still hope to persuade him to come home, sir ’Twas for Jed’s sake I lied to you and took you to the mire Whatever he’s become, he’s my son He’s my flesh and blood”