Duke Richard. "I wonder why she went up there in the
first place?"

"Probably because he asked her to. Any other woman would have known
what she was getting into if she accepted an invitation to Count
D'Evreux's suite."

The Duke's handsome face darkened. "No. One would hardly expect that
sort of thing from one's own brother. She was perfectly justified in
shooting him."

"Perfectly, Your Highness. And had she been anyone but the heiress,
she would undoubtedly have confessed immediately. Indeed, it was all I
could do to keep her from confessing to me when she thought I was
going to charge the Duncans with the killing. But she knew that it was
necessary to preserve the reputation of her brother and herself. Not
as private persons, but as Count and Countess, as officers of the
Government of His Imperial Majesty the King. For a man to be known as
a rake is one thing. Most people don't care about that sort of thing
in a public official so long as he does his duty and does it
well--which, as Your Highness knows, the Count did.

"But to be shot to death while attempting to assault his own
sister--that is quite another thing. She was perfectly justified in
attempting to cover it up. And she will remain silent unless someone
else is accused of the crime."

"Which, of course, will not happen," said Duke Richard. He sipped at
the brandy, then said: "She will make a good Countess. She has
judgment and she can keep cool under duress. After she had shot her
own brother, she might have panicked, but she didn't. How many women
would have thought of simply taking off the damaged gown and putting
on its duplicate from the closet?"

"Very few," Lord Darcy agreed. "That's why I never mentioned that I
knew the Count's wardrobe contained dresses identical to her own. By
the way, Your Highness, if any good Healer, like Father Bright, had
known of those duplicate dresses, he would have realized that the
Count had a sexual obsession about his sister. He would have known
that all the other women the Count went after were sister
substitutes."

"Yes; of course. And none of them measure up." He put his goblet on
the table. "I shall inform the King my brother that I recommended the
new Countess whole-heartedly. No word of this must be put down in
writing, of course. You know and I know and the King must know. No one
else must know."

"One other knows," said Lord Darcy.

"Who?" The Duke looked startled.

"Father Bright."

Duke Richa