the lean, middle-aged man working at adesk across the room.
"My lord Marquis," he said thoughtfully.
"Yes, Your Highness?" said the Marquis of Rouen, looking up.
"How true are the stories one has heard about the late Count?"
"True, Your Highness?" the Marquis said thoughtfully. "I wouldhesitate to make any estimate of percentages. Once a man gets areputation like that, the number of his reputed sins quickly surpassesthe number of actual ones. Doubtless many of the stories one hears areof whole cloth; others may have only a slight basis in fact. On theother hand, it is highly likely that there are many of which we havenever heard. It is absolutely certain, however, that he hasacknowledged seven illegitimate sons, and I dare say he has ignored afew daughters--and these, mind you, with unmarried women. Hisadulteries would be rather more difficult to establish, but I thinkyour Highness can take it for granted that such escapades were farfrom uncommon."
He cleared his throat and then added, "If Your Highness is looking formotive, I fear there is a superabundance of persons with motive."
"I see," the Duke said. "Well, we will wait and see what sort ofinformation Lord Darcy comes up with." He looked up at the clock."They should be there by now."
Then, as if brushing further thoughts on the subject from his mind, hewent back to work, picking up a new sheaf of state papers from hisdesk.
The Marquis watched him for a moment and smiled a little to himself.The young Duke took his work seriously, but was well-balanced aboutit. A little inclined to be romantic--but aren't we all at nineteen?There was no doubt of his ability, nor of his nobility. The RoyalBlood of England always came through.
* * * * *
"My lady," said Sir Pierre gently, "the Duke's Investigators havearrived."
My Lady Alice, Countess D'Evreux, was seated in a gold-brocadeupholstered chair in the small receiving room off the Great Hall.Standing near her, looking very grave, was Father Bright. Against theblaze of color on the walls of the room, the two of them stood outlike ink blots. Father Bright wore his normal clerical black,unrelieved except for the pure white lace at collar and cuffs. TheCountess wore unadorned black velvet, a dress which she had had tohave altered hurriedly by her dressmaker; she had always hated blackand owned only the mourning she had worn when her mother died eightyears before. The somber looks on their faces seemed to make the blackblacker.
"Show them in, Sir Pierre," the Countess said calmly.
Sir Pierre opened the door wider, and three men entered. One wasdressed as one gently born; the other two wore the livery of the Dukeof Normandy.
The gentleman bowed. "I am Lord Darcy, Chief Criminal Investigator forHis Highness, the Duke, and your servant, my lady." He was a tall,brown-haired man in his thirties with a rather handsome, lean face. Hespoke Anglo-French with a definite English accent.
"My pleasure, Lord Darcy," said the Countess. "This is our vicar,Father Bright."
"Your servant, Reverend Sir." Then he presented the two men with him.The first was a scholarly-looking, graying man wearing pince-nezglasses with gold rims, Dr. Pateley, Physician. The second, a tubby,red-faced, smiling man, was Master Sean O Lochlainn, Sorcerer.
As soon as Master Sean was presented he removed a small, leather-boundfolder from his belt pouch and proffered it to the priest. "Mylicense, Reverend Father."
Father Bright took it and glanced over it. It was the usual thing,signed and sealed by the Archbishop of Rouen. The law was ratherstrict on that point; no sorcerer could practice without thepermission of the Church, and a license was given only after carefulexamination for orthodoxy of practice.
"It seems to be quite in order, Master Sean," said the priest, handingthe folder back. The tubby little sorcerer bowed his thanks andreturned the folder to his belt pouch.
Lord Darcy had a notebook in his hand. "Now, unpleasant as it may be,we shall have to check on a few facts." He consulted his notes, thenlooked up at Sir Pierre. "You, I believe, discovered the body?"
"That is correct, your lordship."
"How long ago was this?"
Sir Pierre glanced at his wrist watch. It was 9:55. "Not quite threehours ago, your lordship."
"At what time, precisely?"
"I rapped on the door precisely at seven, and went in a minute or twolater--say 7:01 or 7:02."
"How do you know the time so exactly?"
"My lord the Count," said Sir Pierre with some stiffness, "insistedupon exact punctuality. I have formed the habit of referring to mywatch regularly."
"I see. Very good. Now, what did you do then?"
Sir Pierre described his actions briefly.
"The door to his suite was not locked, then?" Lord Darcy asked.
"No, sir."
"You did not expect it to be locked?"
"No, sir. It has not been for seventeen years."
Lord Darcy raised one eyebrow in a polite query. "Never?"
"Not at seven o'clock, your lordship. My lord the Count always rosepromptly at six and unlocked the door before seven."
"He did lock it at night, then?"
"Yes, sir."
Lord Darcy looked thoughtful and made a note, but he said nothing moreon that subject. "When you left, you locked the door?"
"That is correct, your lordship."
"And it has remained locked ever since?"
Sir Pierce hesitated and glanced at Father Bright. The priest said:"At 8:15, Sir Pierre and I went in. I wished to view the body. Wetouched nothing. We left at 8:20."
* * * * *
Master Sean O Lochlainn looked agitated. "Er ... excuse me, ReverendSir. You didn't give him Holy Unction, I hope?"
"No," said Father Bright. "I thought it would be better to delay thatuntil after the authorities has seen the ... er ... scene of thecrime. I wouldn't want to make the gathering of evidence any moredifficult than necessary."
"Quite right," murmured Lord Darcy.
"No blessings, I trust, Reverend Sir?" Master Sean persisted. "Noexorcisms or--"
"Nothing," Father Bright interrupted somewhat testily. "I believe Icrossed myself when I saw the body, but nothing more."
"Crossed _yourself_, sir. Nothing else?"
"No."
"Well, that's all right, then. Sorry to be so persistent, ReverendSir, but any miasma of evil that may be left around is a veryimportant clue, and it shouldn't be dispersed until it's been checked,you see."
"_Evil?_" My lady the Countess looked shocked.
"Sorry, my lady, but--" Master Sean began contritely.
But Father Bright interrupted by speaking to the Countess. "Don'tdistress yourself, my daughter; these men are only doing their duty."
"Of course. I understand. It's just that it's so--" She shuddereddelicately.
Lord Darcy cast Master Sean a warning look, then asked politely, "Hasmy lady seen the deceased?"
"No," she said. "I will, however, if you wish."
"We'll see," said Lord Darcy. "Perhaps it won't be necessary. May wego up to the suite now?"
"Certainly," the Countess said. "Sir Pierre, if you will?"
"Yes, my lady."
As Sir Pierre unlocked the emblazoned door, Lord Darcy said: "Who elsesleeps on this floor?"
"No one else, your lordship," Sir Pierre said. "The entire floor is ...was ... reserved for my lord the Count."
"Is there any way up besides that elevator?"
Sir Pierre turned and pointed toward the other end of the shorthallway. "That leads to the staircase," he said, pointing to a massiveoaken door, "but it's kept locked at all times. And, as you can see,there is a heavy bar across it. Except for moving furniture in and outor something like that, it's never used."
"No other way up or down, then?"
Sir Pierre hesitated. "Well, yes, your lordship, there is. I'll showyou."
"A secret stairway?"
"Yes, your lordship."
"Very well. We'll look at it after we've seen the body."
/> Lord Darcy, having spent an hour on the train down from Rouen, wasanxious to see the cause of the trouble at last.
He lay in the bedroom, just as Sir Pierre and Father Bright had lefthim.
"If you please, Dr. Pateley," said his lordship.
He knelt on one side of the corpse and watched carefully while Pateleyknelt on the other side and looked at the face of the dead man. Thenhe touched one of the hands and tried to move an arm. "Rigor has setin--even to the fingers. Single bullet hole. Rather small