The Proper Treatment of Bloodstains

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Lisa Moylett and Juliet Van Oss.

Suzie Dooré, Imogen Olsen, Katie Davison, Alice Laurent and Jessica Hische.

Caroline Lyon, David Hicks and Kerrie Smith at the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust.

Hil Williamson and Ruby Woods in the Fine Art Dept of Edinburgh City Libraries.

Nancy Balfour, Jim Hogg and Ann Morrison in the Edinburgh Room (again).

Bronwen Salter-Murison at Oppo for the Dandy Gilver website.

All the staff of the Scottish Mining Museum at Lady Victoria Colliery, especially Tam and John for their memories of mining life and their wit – drier than coal dust.

Nancy and Jeff Balfour for allowing me the use of their name.

Catherine Lepreux, for the sickroom recipes. Fish custard, anyone?

And Neil McRoberts, of course, for everything.

I had been standing under this tree, against these railings, looking at that house from the corner of my eye for almost ten minutes now while I waited for my heart to stop dancing. It was beginning to dawn upon me that I waited in vain. I scanned the windows once more – all seventeen of them; I had counted – but saw no movement anywhere. I glanced along the street both ways, hoping for an excuse to abandon the enterprise, and found none. I looked down at myself, wondering whether my disguise would pass muster, and concluded that it would. So, ignoring the watery feeling in my legs, at last I marched across the road, mounted the steps and pulled hard on the bell.

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