"How true are the stories one has heard about the late Count?"
"True, Your Highness?" the Marquis said thoughtfully. "I would hesitate to make any estimate of percentages. Once a man gets a reputation like that, the number of his reputed sins quickly surpa.s.ses the number of actual ones. Doubtless many of the stories one hears are of whole cloth; others may have only a slight basis in fact. On the other hand, it is highly likely that there are many of which we have never heard. It is absolutely certain, however, that he has acknowledged seven illegitimate sons, and I dare say he has ignored a few daughters--and these, mind you, with unmarried women. His adulteries would be rather more difficult to establish, but I think your Highness can take it for granted that such escapades were far from uncommon."
He cleared his throat and then added, "If Your Highness is looking for motive, I fear there is a superabundance of persons with motive."
"I see," the Duke said. "Well, we will wait and see what sort of information 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, he went back to work, picking up a new sheaf of state papers from his desk.
The Marquis watched him for a moment and smiled a little to himself.
The young Duke took his work seriously, but was well-balanced about it. A little inclined to be romantic--but aren"t we all at nineteen?
There was no doubt of his ability, nor of his n.o.bility. The Royal Blood of England always came through.
"My lady," said Sir Pierre gently, "the Duke"s Investigators have arrived."
My Lady Alice, Countess D"Evreux, was seated in a gold-brocade upholstered chair in the small receiving room off the Great Hall.
Standing near her, looking very grave, was Father Bright. Against the blaze of color on the walls of the room, the two of them stood out like ink blots. Father Bright wore his normal clerical black, unrelieved except for the pure white lace at collar and cuffs. The Countess wore unadorned black velvet, a dress which she had had to have altered hurriedly by her dressmaker; she had always hated black and owned only the mourning she had worn when her mother died eight years before. The somber looks on their faces seemed to make the black blacker.
"Show them in, Sir Pierre," the Countess said calmly.
Sir Pierre opened the door wider, and three men entered. One was dressed as one gently born; the other two wore the livery of the Duke of Normandy.
The gentleman bowed. "I am Lord Darcy, Chief Criminal Investigator for His Highness, the Duke, and your servant, my lady." He was a tall, brown-haired man in his thirties with a rather handsome, lean face. He spoke 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-nez gla.s.ses 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-bound folder from his belt pouch and proffered it to the priest. "My license, 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 rather strict on that point; no sorcerer could practice without the permission of the Church, and a license was given only after careful examination for orthodoxy of practice.
"It seems to be quite in order, Master Sean," said the priest, handing the folder back. The tubby little sorcerer bowed his thanks and returned 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, then looked 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 three hours ago, your lordship."
"At what time, precisely?"
"I rapped on the door precisely at seven, and went in a minute or two later--say 7:01 or 7:02."
"How do you know the time so exactly?"
"My lord the Count," said Sir Pierre with some stiffness, "insisted upon exact punctuality. I have formed the habit of referring to my watch 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 rose promptly 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 more on 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. We touched nothing. We left at 8:20."
Master Sean O Lochlainn looked agitated. "Er ... excuse me, Reverend Sir. You didn"t give him Holy Unction, I hope?"
"No," said Father Bright. "I thought it would be better to delay that until after the authorities has seen the ... er ... scene of the crime. I wouldn"t want to make the gathering of evidence any more difficult than necessary."
"Quite right," murmured Lord Darcy.
"No blessings, I trust, Reverend Sir?" Master Sean persisted. "No exorcisms or--"
"Nothing," Father Bright interrupted somewhat testily. "I believe I crossed 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, Reverend Sir, but any miasma of evil that may be left around is a very important clue, and it shouldn"t be dispersed until it"s been checked, you see."