“French, then? And the man he killed was also a Frenchman, I believe. Well, that tidies it up nicely, doesn’t it?” She looked at me over her Wedgwood teacup. “What one doesn’t understand is why he picked Rannoch House to do the deed.”

“He knew why de Mauxville was in London and realized that my brother and I would have a strong motive for murder.”

“An intelligent young man, then.” She took a thin slice of brown bread from the plate that was offered her. “I always feel it’s such a pity when good brains are wasted.” She looked up at me and nodded approvingly. “You seem to have made admirable use of your brains, Georgiana. Well done. I see that your brother was given a hero’s welcome when he arrived back in Scotland.”

I nodded. For some reason there was a lump in my throat. I hadn’t realized how fond I was of Binky.

“And I haven’t had a chance to ask you about the house party yet, with all of this sensationalism going on,” the queen said. “I take it my son and that woman were both in attendance?”

“They were, ma’am.”

“And?”

“I would say that His Highness is infatuated. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.”

“And is she equally infatuated with him?”

I thought before I answered. “I believe she likes the idea of having power over him. He’s certainly already under her thumb.”

“Oh, dear. Just as I feared. Let us hope this is another of his passing fancies or that she’ll tire of him. I must speak to the king. This may be a good time to send David on a long tour of the colonies.” She took another delicate bite of bread. I had just taken a second slice myself, in the hope that she wasn’t counting.

“And what about you, Georgiana?” she asked. “What shall you be doing with yourself now that the excitement is over?”

“We’ve just had the good news that Sir Hubert has come out of his coma, and will be coming home,” I said. “I thought I’d go down to Eynsleigh and keep him company. It will be an awful shock for him when he hears about Tristram.”

“And it was all for nothing too,” the queen said. “Sir Hubert is known for his strong constitution. I expect he’ll now live for years.”

“One hopes so, ma’am,” I said, thinking that I’d have to go back to cleaning houses after all.

“Let me know when you return from Sir Hubert’s,” Her Majesty said. “I think I have another little assignment for you. . . .”