He didn’t move, though he didn’t contradict her, there was no comforting hand now, no murmured reassurances. Reeve bent over the body, then lifted his gaze and met Bennett’s. “It’s fortunate you were quick—and accurate.” The .45 lying beside the body hadn’t been fired. His eyes shifted over briefly to rest on Hannah. “We’ll handle this quietly.”

Bennett’s lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile. “Of course.”

“If you’ll go back to your box.” Reeve signaled two of the guards to accompany him. “We’ll say nothing of this to the family until we can be private.” With a pencil, he lifted the .45 automatic by the trigger guard. “The police will come in the back way.”

Bennett brushed the guards aside with a gesture. It was the first time Hannah had seen him use true royal arrogance. “I want to talk to you. Alone. Now.”

“All right.” He’d seen too much, Reeve knew. It had to be handled quickly. “Eve’s office then. If you’d give me a few minutes to deal with this first.”

“You have ten,” Bennett said, and turned his back on all of them.

“I’d like to go back to the palace.” Hannah stood on the steps, alone now. Her hands, white at the knuckles, clutched her bag. “I’m not feeling well.”

“See to a car and driver,” Reeve ordered one of the guards. To another he gave the dead man’s weapon before he climbed the stairs to slip an arm around Hannah. “I’ll walk you out.” The moment they were out of earshot, his voice became curt and professional. “What happened?”

Her knees were shaking, but she schooled her voice to the same tone. Briefly, she gave him her report. “The entire thing couldn’t have taken more than five minutes.” It had seemed like hours.

“It was just bad luck all around that Bennett found you. Still, the story will hold. He has a reputation for being an excellent shot. All I have to do is calm him down.” Reeve let out a long breath at that. He knew his brother-in-law well, just as he knew all the Bissets. Once their temper was lost, it wasn’t easily regained. “We’ll go over this in the morning so that the story you pass on to Deboque is the most advantageous one.”

“He’ll never forgive me.”

Reeve was intuitive enough to know she wasn’t speaking of Deboque now. “Bennett is neither unjust nor hardhearted. He’ll be angry at being kept in the dark, but he won’t blame you.”

“Won’t he?” Hannah walked through the doors and into the night air without looking back.

*   *   *