Terez and her father, the Grand Duke Orso, were engaged in what appeared to be a heartfelt argument, carried out in expressive Styrian, accentuated on both sides by violent hand movements. Jezal might have been relieved that he was not the only family member she appeared to despise, had he not suspected that he was the subject of their argument. He heard a soft scraping behind him, and was mildly disgusted to see the twisted face of his new Arch Lector.

'Your Majesty.' Glokta spoke softly, as if he planned to discuss secrets, frowning towards Terez and her father. 'Might I ask… is all well between you and the queen?' His voice dropped even lower. 'I understand that you rarely sleep in the same room.'

Jezal was on the point of giving the cripple a backhanded blow across the face for his impudence. Then he caught Terez looking at him, out of the corner of his eye. That look of utter contempt that was his usual treatment as a husband. He felt his shoulders sag. 'She can scarcely stand to be in the same country as me, let alone the same bed. The woman's an utter bitch!' he snarled, then hung his head and stared down at the floor. 'What am I to do?'

Glokta worked his neck to one side, then the other, and Jezal suppressed a shudder as he heard a loud click. 'Let me speak to the queen, your Majesty. I can be quite persuasive when I have the mind. I understand your difficulties. I am myself but recently married.'

Jezal dreaded to think what manner of monster might have accepted this monster as a husband. 'Truly?' he asked, feigning interest. 'Who is the lady?'

'I believe that the two of you are distantly acquainted. Ardee is her name. Ardee dan Glokta.' And the cripple's lips slid back to display the sickening hole in his front teeth.

'But not—'

'My old friend Collem West's sister, yes.' Jezal stared, speechless. Glokta gave a stiff bow. 'I accept your congratulations.' He turned away, limped to the edge of the platform, and began to lurch down the steps, leaning heavily on his cane.

Jezal could hardly contain his cold shock, his crushing disappointment, his utter horror. He could not conceive of what blackmail that shambling monstrosity might have employed to trap her. Perhaps she had simply been desperate when Jezal abandoned her. Perhaps, with her brother ill, she had been left with nowhere else to turn. Only the other morning, in the hospital, the sight of her had tugged at something in him, just the way it used to. He had been thinking to himself that perhaps, one day, with time…