Leaving Alec to sleep, Seregil paced the long balcony, peering in through the windows of the other rooms. There was enough moonlight for him to see inside; all bedchambers, one of which was the nursery, where a wet nurse was watching over two of the duke’s younger children, and the new baby. The one next to it appeared to belong to the duchess.

He went inside again and waited until the house was quiet, then slipped out into the corridor to begin his search.

The rooms at the front of the house proved to be more bedchambers and a day room. Taking out the tool roll he’d hidden under his shirt, he searched that room but found nothing of interest except the duchess’s correspondence box. He looked through it quickly and found nothing of note. Whatever Reltheus was up to, it was doubtful his young wife knew anything of it.

As he stepped out into the corridor, a brawny servant with a lantern appeared at the head of the stairway just a few yards away.

“Who’s that there!” the man demanded, coming closer and raising his lantern. “Oh, it’s you, my lord! Whatever are you doing out here in the dark?”

“I was looking for the garderobe, actually,” Seregil replied, feigning chagrin. “I didn’t want to disturb anyone with a light.”

“No chance of that, my lord. You’d be lucky not to break your neck. But you know, there’s chamber pots under all the beds.”

“I can’t abide the things! Surely there is a proper toilet here?”

“Oh, yes, downstairs. Here, I’ll take you to it.”

There was no choice but to follow him down, but as luck would have it, they passed the open door of what looked like a study overlooking the garden.

The toilet was a rank little closet in a far corner of the house. Garderobes were common in Rhíminee, just a shaft down to the sewers below, with a seat on top. With the watchman waiting outside to light him back to his room, Seregil made use of it and allowed himself to be led back to his room.

“Thank you,” Seregil said, giving the man a silver half sester.

“Much obliged, my lord.”

Alec was fast asleep and not so pale. Seregil washed his hands at the basin and went back to the door. There was no sign of the watchman. In no mood for any more surprises, he felt his way to the staircase and made his way back down to the study. If the watchman found him again, he’d just say he was indisposed.