Author's note: Sorry for the longer-than-usual wait. Author's block happened. It seems all sorted now – crossing my fingers.

When she arrived at work the following morning, Barbara felt like she was a freak. Although she didn't want to sink into paranoia she couldn't ignore that all the eyes were fixed on her. Conversations dried up as she passed by to resume once she had turned her back. As she crossed the open-plan office to go to her desk, all her moves were watched. She understood why when she arrived at her desk: several issues of Country Life and a wedding dress catalogue had been put right in the middle along with the issue of a feminine magazine titling: 'From the "Pirate's bounty" to the "Final furlong", 12 positions to drive your man crazy.' Aware that all the eyes were on her, she calmly threw the Country Life issues in the wastepaper bin, quickly leafed through the catalogue before putting it into the bin too, and put the feminine magazine in her big shoulder bag. She intended it as a signal that she didn't care about the gossips and, who knew?, perhaps there would be a position Tommy and she hadn't tried yet.

'Hiya! Fancy a coffee, Babs?'

In front of her, stood the tall silhouette of Winston Nkata.

'Morning, Winnie, I wouldn't say no.'

They bought their coffees at the machine, then, cups in hand, withdrew on a desert landing.

'Everybody knows, I suppose?' Barbara asked immediately.

'Fucking hell, Babs! A story likes that, you bet it went round the Yard in no time!'

'We're not the first ones!'

'And certainly not the last, but, hey, it's Lynley!'

'Yeah, but it's more to do with me than with him, no? The most eligible bachelor of the Met and…me. They must all be wondering if he's gone totally loony.'

'It's been going on for long? You and the inspector?'

'Since last May.'

'May? Holy crap, I didn't see anything! Why didn't you say anything? You could've told me at least!'

'What for? T'was none of your business, Winnie!'

She went quiet suddenly as the door of the landing opened. A secretary with a pile of folders in her arms passed without paying attention to them and rushed downstairs. Barbara started speaking again in a lower voice.

'We're both adults and free. We don't have to answer to anybody.'

'That's not what I mean, Babs. You do what you want with whom you want but we're friends, you and me. Friends speak about that sort of things, eh?'

'I like you very much Winnie but I don't wanna know whom you fuck.'

'You're telling me it's just for the sex? Sorry but I don't buy it.'

'Why? I wouldn't be the first colleague he laid.'

'I know, but he respects you too much for that.'

'Who d'you think I am? A white dove? I like sex too.'

Winston smiled.

'I believe you; rumour has it he's a good lay.'

'He's more than good,' Barbara mumbled in her cup.

They finished their coffees in silence but before going back to their desks, Barbara asked:

'Do you know if he's arrived?'

'Yup. Dee told me he arrived at 7 sharp, and was summoned to Hillier's office with Ardery at half past. Apparently he's still there.'

Barbara looked at her watch; it was quarter past eight.

'45 minutes... What do you think is going on? It shouldn't take this long to sack someone, no?'

'Dunno. Lynley's probably trying to save your arse.'

'Good luck to him! Ardery can't wait to be rid of me.'

'Probably but I think she'd like to keep the inspector in her team so that gives him more weight for the negotiation.'

'He talked about resigning.'

'Blimey! It's really serious between you, then.'

'More serious than you think, Winnie. He proposed last night.'

'Fuck me! What did you say?'

'I said yes.'

'Oh, wow! That's brill! Congratulations, Babs!'

'Hush! We don't want to tell anybody till we know what's in store for us.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the office of Assistant Commissioner Hillier, Lynley was thinking that they would soon need a doctor.

Ardery, her face ashen, her jaws tight, didn't look well; Hillier, crimson, seemed to be on the verge of having an apoplectic fit, and as for him, he was trying so hard to contain himself that he was certainly developing a stomach ulcer.

He had tried to beat them to it and defused their threats by putting his letter of resignation on Hillier's desk before the AC could even open his mouth. Hillier had very nearly choked with rage when he'd understood that no threat of sacking, of demotion or of transfer would have a hold over a man who was offering to leave his job. So after having shouted, growled and raged all his soul against Lynley, he claimed that his affair with Havers was setting a detrimental precedent that could tarnish the Met's reputation.

Lynley took one deep breath to calm his nerves and forced himself to smile.

'With all due respect, Sir, whatever I may think of you, I have never doubted your intelligence so, pray, don't insult mine by trying to make me believe it's the first time two officers are in a relationship.'

'We have turned a blind eye to too many things already, Inspector,' Hillier retorted, 'the liberties you take with the procedures, Havers' repeated breaches of regulations, your and her insubordination. We did so in view of your positive results but this goes too far and cannot be ignored. You certainly know some officers have accused you of favouritism; they accused you of favouring Havers over them.'

'And you certainly know that these officers are jealous and less talented than her,' Tommy cut in. 'I suppose DS Nkata never complained that I treated him differently than DS Havers. Why? Because I don't. I admit I give more freedom to Havers than to other sergeants, I also admit I share more thoughts with her than with anybody; not because I'm in love with her – Hillier growled and threw his arms up – but because she's an excellent copper with a sure instinct and a capacity for analysis far better than the one of others. I'm not biased, sir, I simply rely on the best officer I have.'

'You're involved in a murder case, for God's sake!' Hillier shouted, slamming his hand on his desk. On Tommy's right, Ardery started.

'This is not our fault!' Lynley cried back.

He regretted his words as soon as they came out of his mouth. The argument was poor and made him sound childish. He should be used to Hillier's unfairness by now! He pulled himself together and replied more calmly:

'We've nothing to do with the murder of Lady Victoria and we certainly didn't want to be involved. This is a tragic combination of circumstances. DI Stanhope is in charge and I'm confident Barbara and I will soon be in the clear.'

'Let's hope so, Lynley. In the meantime, you're both suspended, effective immediately. We'll deal with the topic of your resignation at a later date.'

'But…' Tommy was about to protest but the fire burning in Hillier's eyes persuaded him not to.

Conceding defeat, he followed Ardery out of Hillier's office.

'My office, now.'

Ardery's words, sharp and icy, took him by surprise. She hadn't talked much when they'd met this morning and had remained completely silent in Hillier's office.

He had his dose of remonstrance for the day and only wanted to talk to Barbara – good Lord, how was he going to tell her they were both suspended? – but it wouldn't be wise to further alienate the superintendent. With a heavy heart he shuffled to the super's office.

She had preceded him inside and was leaning over her desk, signing some papers her secretary had brought her. Dee Harriman looked at him quizzically and he sadly smiled at her. He went to the window and looked outside, lost in his thoughts. His reflection in the pane looked back at him. Lynley was surprised to see himself so pale and drawn. Where was the man, energetic and sure of himself, he had seen in his mirror this morning?

'I hope you're pleased with yourself.'

The icy voice drew him out of his reverie. He turned to Ardery. She was standing next to her desk, arms crossed. Deep in his thoughts he hadn't heard Dee leave the room.

'There's nothing to be pleased about,' he replied.

She didn't offer him a seat so he stayed by the window, leant against the cold pane.

'My career is in tatters and Barbara's is seriously compromised; that's not exactly cheerful news.'

'It didn't have to be that way, Thomas.'

'No, you're wrong. It was inevitable. As soon as I fell in love with Barbara I knew it would happen eventually. A DI can't be in an official relationship with his DS, can he? That's against the policy of the Met. We're not supposed to mix our jobs and our private lives. But how could we not to when we spend more time with our colleagues than with our own families?'

'I understand, Thomas, I really do. But it doesn't have to be the end of your career. Your suspension is temporary, once you're cleared in the enquiry into Lady Victoria's murder you will have your job back.'

'I resigned.'

'I'll have no trouble convincing Hillier to destroy your letter. You're an excellent police officer, he doesn't want to lose you.'

'Why would you do that?'

'For the same reason. You're my best inspector, Thomas.'

'In Hillier's office you looked like you wanted to punch me in the face.'

'I did. I still do. You've been incredibly stupid and you've put me in an impossible situation! Yesterday, when the news about you and Havers being involved in a murder case on Holy Island arrived, Hillier summoned me to his office. He asked me if it was true that you and Havers were in a relationship. What could I say? I had my suspicions, the way you behaved with her, but other people who knew you before I did told me you had been like that since the start, even when you were with Helen. So I assumed it was only a strong friendship; the complicity that comes from working for several years with the same person. I told Hillier so and I thought I had convinced him but soon we got the information that you and Havers were sharing the same bedroom at the hotel. Hillier was furious. He reproached me for not knowing a damn thing about my team; for not seeing that you and Havers were sleeping together just under my nose. Thanks to you, the Assistant Commissioner thinks I'm stupid, or worse, incompetent as a team leader!'

'I'm so sorry. I never meant to cause you trouble.'

'So get your act together now. Adopt a low profile, say Hillier you're sorry, put an end to that stupid story with Havers…what?'

Lynley was smiling but it wasn't a happy smile, it was a mixture of sadness and irony.

'You don't understand. I'm sorry I caused you trouble with Hillier but I'm not sorry for my relationship with Barbara. I love her and if I must give up my career to be with her, so be it, that's not a big sacrifice.'

'You cannot be serious!'

'I proposed to her.'

'You what!?'

'I proposed to her, and she made me the honour to say yes. We're going to get married and start a family.'

'And you'll be what? A stay-at-home dad?'

'Why not? I can think of worst jobs.'

'I don't give you a year before you grow tired of staying at home with nothing to do but changing nappies and managing your estate.'

'Who knows? My mentor at Oxford wanted me to go on with my studies. Maybe I'll take him at his word and do a PhD in History.'

'You've thought this through.'

'Not really. My only certainty is that I want to be with Barbara.'

'Nothing I will say or do will make you change your mind?'

'Nothing.'

'All is said then. Good luck, Thomas.'

'Thank you, guv.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile in Northumberland, DI Vera Stanhope was thinking that things were not so bad after all. She'd had her first meeting with the team from London, one DI, a couple of DC's and a bunch of uniforms but before it, the DI, a near-retirement-age Elliott Kerbb – 'with two b's - had told her in private that he didn't intend to put her in the shade.

'I never liked when they imposed another team on me,' he told her when they were alone in her office,' and I don't suppose you like it either. My boss probably told yours I'm the best inspector he had and that's rubbish, I'm not even the second best. I'm not bad, don't get me wrong, I solved my share of crimes and put some really nasty bastards behind bars, but with the budget cuts and the transfer of a whole load of detectives to the anti-terrorist squad we've got work over our heads in London, so my boss wasn't going to send his most brilliant asset up North because a friend of the top cheese wanted him to. He probably thought I was the most dispensable of the inspectors. I'm at the end of my career, I've nothing left to prove. I will support you the best I can, Vera, but I'll gladly leave you in charge.'

'But if we fail, you'll be held responsible for it. Lord Juniper seems to be well acquainted within the police force.'

'I don't like the idea of a civilian meddling in police affairs. Anyway, what can they do to me? Ask me to take an early leave? I'll happily oblige! I'm due to retire in nine months; there's not much harm they can do to me now. I'll be glad if I can put a last murderer away before I go, though.'

The meeting had lasted longer than usual to put the new team in the picture about the latest developments of the enquiry. Vera wanted to concentrate on Lady Edwina Morton-Meyers and Alistair Pennyworth.

'Lady Morton-Meyers seems quite fond of her friend Lord Juniper and may have resented the arrival of the new young bride. She possibly had pictured herself the next Lady Juniper when Juniper lost his first wife and her plans were destroyed by Juniper's marriage with Lady Victoria. She told Barbara Havers that she knew chemistry and herbalism. She would have had the knowledge to poison Lady V. The question is: did she have the opportunity to do it?'

'Do we know how the poison was administered?', Kerbb asked.

'Not yet. The pathologist is working on it. Second, Alistair Pennyworth. He admitted he went to the victim's room the night of the murder. He claims she didn't let him in but Lady Morton-Meyers thinks otherwise. He says he found solace with the night clerk. Joe?'

'She confirmed his statement. There's a little room behind the reception desk where they spent roughly two hours together between midnight and two o'clock. However, this does not necessarily clear him. He would have had the time to poison Lady Victoria before or after.'

'What would have been his motive?' Holly asked. 'He didn't even know her before this week-end.'

'That's what he told us,' Vera replied, 'but we only have his word for it. I want you, Joe, to go on on Pennyworth, I want the full picture: who he is, who he knows, the places he goes to. I want to be sure he really met Lady V. for the first time this week-end. Holly, you take Lady Morton-Meyers. For the moment we only have what she told Barbara Havers and we need to confirm it.'

'You think Havers lied?' Kerbb asked.

'I don't think so. Why would she lie?'

'To protect someone by orienting us towards someone else,' Joe replied.

Vera gave him a black look; she knew exactly whom Joe had in mind.

'Lynley's been cleared by his DNA,' she retorted sternly.

'He's not the lover we're looking for but he could have killed her nonetheless.'

Joe knew he was taking the risk of attracting Vera's wrath upon him but he wasn't going to clear Lynley so easily just because the boss liked him.

'What do you make of Morton-Meyers' statement that she heard Lynley and Havers all night?' Vera asked wryly.

'We don't know how the poison was administered. Maybe Lynley gave it to Lady V. before going to bed.'

'And she would have waited to take it? That's absurd!'

'She didn't know what it was. He didn't tell her it was going to kill her! You think the poison was in one of her pills but maybe it was concealed in a candy or a fudge…I don't know.'

'Of course, you don't know! There's nothing to be known. What would his motive be?'

'If we're going to explore this possibility, perhaps we'd better suspect Barbara Havers then,' Holly said.

All heads turned in her direction.

'If she lied, and I don't say she did,' she quickly added for Vera,' it could have been to protect herself.'

'What would have been her motive? Jealousy? Lynley chose her over Victoria,' Vera replied.

'Did he really? The fact he didn't sleep with the victim the night she was killed doesn't mean he never did. Victoria could have posed a risk to Havers' relationship with Lynley.'

'I don't think so,' Kerbb said calmly. 'I never worked with them but if everything I heard about them is true, nothing or no-one could tear them apart.'

'With all due respect, sir, hearsay are not facts,' Holly countered.

'You're right, of course,' Kerbb agreed,' but I think we'd better concentrate on the actions DI Stanhope has just listed.'

'Enough words, then, time for action!' Vera added and, waving her hand, she dismissed the team.

Her phone rang. It was Billy Wainwright. The pathologist wanted to see her.

'Inspector Kerbb?' she called out.

'Elliott.'

'Elliott, the pathologist's got something for us.'

On their way to the mortuary she asked Kerbb:

'Do you really believe what you said about Lynley and Havers?'

She was driving her old Range Rover and was concentrating on the road. Kerbb suspected she had intentionally waited to be in the car so she could ask him without looking at him.

'I haven't been completely honest with you. I told you I'd never worked with them and that's true but I've seen them more than once, alone or together. I'm not surprised they're a couple, they always seemed to need the other. When they're apart they search each other and when they're together it's as if there was a bubble around them that keeps everybody else outside. I don't think Barbara Havers is jealous and I don't think she has any reason to be, however…'

He let his sentence unfinished, as if he was searching for the right word to explain his thought.

'Yes?' Vera pressed him.

'They've been in trouble several times with their hierarchy because their loyalty to each other has no limit. Even if they disagree, even if they argue, they'll stand together against their superiors or the IPCC.'

He added, as if with regret:

'They'll do anything to protect the other.'

They didn't say anything else until Vera stopped her car in the car-park of the morgue. There she turned to Kerbb.

'Why didn't you say that during the meeting?'

Kerbb looked at her and shrugged his shoulders.

'I simply didn't think it was important. Not yet, at least. The trails of Morton-Meyers, Sivajothi, and Victoria's lover seem far more promising. It'll always be time to reconsider our position if we run out of suspects in the future.'

'I'll have to keep that hypothesis in mind.'

'Oh, I'm certain your subordinates will make sure you remember,' Kerbb replied with a wink.

Vera chuckled and got out the car.