When the Duke said this, I was very surprised, but Holmes was surprised too. "This is news to me," he said. "Can you tell me more?' The Duke stood up, and walked round the room for a minute. "I must tell you everything," he said. "I didn't want to talk about it, but I must. I see that now.' He sat down again, and began his story. "When I was a young man, Mr Holmes, I was in love oh, so much in love. It only happens to you once, and this woman was the love of my life. I wanted her to be my wife but she died. She left me this one child, and I loved him because of her. When I look in his face, I see her, and remember her, and can't stop loving her. I must have the boy near me because of this. But a government minister cannot tell the world about a love-child like this. So, to the world, James is my young secretary, not my son. "He knows that I am his father. He hates the Duchess because she is not his mother. And he hates my younger son, Arthur, because Arthur has everything. Arthur has a name, a famous father, houses, money, everything. James has nothing. Well, he has some money, of course, but he 35
is just Mr James Wilder, and he wants to be the Duke of Holdernesse one day. That's not possible, of course, but James can't understand that. And so, you see, I was afraid for Arthur, and that's why I sent him to Dr Huxtable's school And what does James do next? He kidnaps my poor Arthur. It changes nothing, but James can't see that. He wants me to say, "Yes, James, now you can be my first son; you can have everything. Arthur can be the number two son." But I can't do that, of course I can't. James knew this man Hayes, you see, because Hayes worked for me once. James asked for Hayes's help, and the man was happy to do it. You remember my letter to Arthur on that last day? Well, James opened the letter and put in a note from him. That evening he cycled across the moor and met Arthur in Ragged Shaw. He talked about the Duchess, Arthur's mother. "She wants to see you," he told Arthur. "She's waiting on the moor. Come back at midnight, and a man with a horse can take you to her." Of course, poor Arthur wanted to see his mother, so he came Hayes was there with two horses, and they rode across the moor. But the German teacher followed them, and Hayes killed him. Hayes then took Arthur to the Green Man "Well, Mr Holmes, I knew nothing about any of this until the murder. James is a bad boy but he does not murder people. When he heard the news, he came to me at