as pulling his surplice down over his
head. The clock said 7:11.

Father Bright forced his mind Heavenward and repeated silently the
vesting prayers that his lips had formed meaninglessly, this time
putting his full intentions behind them. Then he added a short mental
prayer asking God to forgive him for allowing his thoughts to stray in
such a manner.

He opened his eyes and reached for his chasuble just as the sacristy
door opened and Sir Pierre, the Count's Privy Secretary, stepped in.

"I must speak to you, Father," he said in a low voice. And, glancing
at the young De Saint-Brieuc, he added: "Alone."

Normally, Father Bright would have reprimanded anyone who presumed to
break into the sacristy as he was vesting for Mass, but he knew that
Sir Pierre would never interrupt without good reason. He nodded and
went outside in the corridor that led to the altar.

"What is it, Pierre?" he asked.

"My lord the Count is dead. Murdered."

After the first momentary shock, Father Bright realized that the news
was not, after all, totally unexpected. Somewhere in the back of his
mind, it seemed he had always known that the Count would die by
violence long before debauchery ruined his health.

"Tell me about it," he said quietly.

Sir Pierre reported exactly what he had done and what he had seen.

"Then I locked the door and came straight here," he told the priest.

"Who else has the key to the Count's suite?" Father Bright asked.

"No one but my lord himself," Sir Pierre answered, "at least as far as
I know."

"Where is his key?"

"Still in the ring at his belt. I noticed that particularly."

"Very good. We'll leave it locked. You're certain the body was cold?"

"Cold and waxy, Father."

"Then he's been dead many hours."

"Lady Alice will have to be told," Sir Pierre said.

Father Bright nodded. "Yes. The Countess D'Evreux must be informed of
her succession to the County Seat." He could tell by the sudden
momentary blank look that came over Sir Pierre's face that the Privy
Secretary had not yet realized fully the implications of the Count's
death. "I'll tell her, Pierre. She should be in her pew by now. Just
step into the church and tell her quietly that I want to speak to her.
Don't tell her anything else."

"I understand, Father," said Sir Pierre.

* * * * *

There were only twenty-five or thirty people in the pews--most of them
women--but Alice, Countess D'Evreux was n