By Charlie Conchie As private equity firms bounced around London auditioning advisors and lawyers late last year, top dealmakers were looking forward to a return to action. Buyout houses had been plunged into a period of quiet as rising interest rates pushed up the cost of financing deals and inflation sent public market valuations into a spin. But with London’s listed companies still cheap and the prospect of rate cuts not far off, a bargain hunt on the London Stock Exchange seemed just around the corner. Save for some notable exceptions, however, including Thoma Bravo’s £4.3bn bid for Darktr…