“Just one more nail in my coffin,” Tennant said.
“Which does the old boy find more irritating? That white tie or your regimental striped one?”
“As ties go, it’s probably a tie.”
The door opened, and Mrs. Ogilvie announced, “Dinner is served.”
Julia took his arm. “We made it just in the nick . . . both of us.”
Tennant sat at Julia’s left at the table, ceding the floor to Mister Lloyd at her right. The clergyman and his sister had visited Whitechapel that morning, and Lloyd was full of praise for the clinic and its doctor. The inspector couldn’t fault anything he said, and Lloyd said it so well.
At the end of the meal, Julia replaced her napkin and looked around the table. “Will you all follow me to the drawing room?”
Mister Lloyd stood and offered Julia his arm.
Her grandfather drew back his dining partner’s chair. “We’re an eccentric household, Mrs. Davies, by English standards at any rate. The legacy of Julia’s American grandmother, also named Julia.”
She smiled. “Eccentric in what way?”
“No tea after dinner and no separation of the sexes.” Doctor Lewis offered his arm. “We will enjoy our port, sherry, or barley water, if one prefers, in the drawing room together.”
Julia’s aunt took Tennant’s arm. “You seem quiet this evening, Richard.” She smiled faintly, glancing at Mister Lloyd and her niece. “And a little . . . watchful.”
“And you, Lady Aldridge, see too much.” He leaned in closer. “I would have you in the Yard if I could.”
“Dear boy.” She patted his hand. “Julia’s been telling me about the case. She said you knew Louisa Allingham.”
“The last time we met, I was her escort for an endless French opera. My reward was to make way for Charles Allingham.”
“Never mind. I’ve lived long enough to know that life presents unexpected compensations.”
“A hopeful thought,” Tennant said as they followed Doctor Lewis and Mrs. Davies to the drawing room.
Mrs. Ogilvie offered drinks to the guests; Mrs. Davies accepted a sherry and Tennant a port. She smiled at him to invite conversation, so he followed her to the settee.
“Thank you for your assistance yesterday, Mrs. Davies.”
“I was worried, but Jin proved strong enough for the ordeal.”
Tennant said, “Sometimes, it’s a fine line between pressing a witness and victimizing her again.”
“You managed the delicate balance.” A ripple of doubt crossed her face. “Now, I’m wondering if we’ve navigated equally well, Owen and I.”
“What do you mean?”
“Perhaps our reticence with Jin was wrong, and we should have encouraged her to speak.”
“As you say, it’s a delicate balance,” Tennant said. “As for the interview, you handled it admirably. May I ask how you came to be so proficient in Cantonese?”
“Our parents were missionaries in China.”
“And we moved to Hong Kong as young children,” Mr. Lloyd said.
He had joined them with Julia on his arm. Tennant stood to make room for her on the settee.
Mrs. Davies said, “Owen followed in the family’s footsteps. Rather like you, Doctor Lewis.”
“Yes, we have physicians galore in the clan,” Julia said. “My grandfather, my father, and a rather famous American one on my grandmother’s side, Doctor Benjamin Rush. He signed the Declaration of Independence.”
