“Certainly, but can’t that wait until later in the day? I mean to say … Count Pellegar is quiet now, and I wouldn’t wish to upset him from sleep again. It’s a rather tenuous situation. You see? And,” Julian continued before the other man could speak, “of course all damages—however slight—will be paid for in full, and for good measure I’m sure Count Pellegar will wish to pay double for his use of the Grand Suite, as His Excellency has already told me how much he prizes the quarters and that he wishes to be a regular guest here on his future visits.” Julian smiled, in spite of the cut inside his mouth, the three loose teeth his tongue had found and the fact that he was standing on sheer willpower alone.

The moment hung.

Then the night manager breathed a huge sigh that must have been relief. “Pardon my rather rude knock at your door, sir. The couple next door rang for the boy here and said it sounded as if ten men were fighting in there.” He lowered his voice. “Lord and Lady Turlentort are two of our favorites, but they are excitable.”

“I understand completely,” said Julian, his smile still firmly fixed in place.

Thus it was that after a few more apologies and pleasantries and wishes for the good health of Count Pellegar, the night manager and the servant boy withdrew, Julian returned to the room, closed the door and latched it again and stepped over the count’s corpse in search of the chain and key. An exhausted Matthew had slid down against the wall near the destroyed harpsichord, but as far away as possible from the corpse of Baron Brux without crawling into the next room. He had done some self-examination and determined that no ribs were broken but very soon he was going to become a blotch of bruises under his clothing.

“You all right?” Julian asked as he searched the floor. “You look like hell. Not about to be sick, are you?”

“I’m all right. And no, I’m not about to be sick.”

Julian nodded toward dead Count Pellegar. “This little bastard here nearly caved my chest in. And that shot to my chin … I swear before Christ I’ve never had a harder knock. Came close to swallowing my own tongue. Ah! Here it is!” He held up the chain and key, which he’d found when he lifted up the corpse’s left arm, as the item had slid across the floor during their battle and was hidden near the elbow. Julian winced as he stood up and it took him a few seconds to recover from a bout of dizziness. “My heart’s still laboring,” he said. “All right, let’s find out what’s in the satchel.”