“I know.” Robert put on a faint smile. “People change but, as you say, not that much. The Marcus d’Ivoire I knew wouldn’t put a friend on the spot, unless he was certain his duty demanded it.”

For a moment, Marcus saw Adrecht’s face, scared and pleading. He said nothing.

“And please believe me,” Robert said, “when I say you are still my friend. I wish we’d come back together under better circumstances.”

“So do I.”

“So take it from one friend to another when I tell you that the best thing you can do is to drop this, right now, and never mention it to a living soul.”

Another pause stretched awkwardly.

“The minister . . . ,” Marcus began.

“The minister does not have as much power as many believe,” Robert said. “He leads the Radical party, yes, but they are far from united, and in any case the Conservatives are currently ascendant. Suppose I take this to him. Suppose, for the moment, that he believes you completely. What then? You’re asking him to risk everything—his life—on one gambit, one chance to bring Maurisk down. If he can’t convince the Deputies-General the allegations are true, Maurisk would have him on the Spike before dawn as a traitor, and who knows how many others with him.”

“You don’t think he’d risk it?” Marcus said.

“I’m certain he wouldn’t. Durenne dislikes Maurisk, and I’m sure he’d be happy to see the Directory fall, but above all he’s concerned with maintaining his position. Balancing the demands of the Radicals and the orders from the Directory is hard enough without bringing on a crisis. If I brought this to him, he’d ask me where I heard it, and when I told him he’d tell Maurisk, to keep the peace. Then you would be the one who’d find the Patriots at your door some morning.”

Marcus shook his head. “If we had proof Maurisk was trying to kill the queen—”

“He’d say it was fabricated,” Robert said. “The Conservatives would believe him, the Radicals wouldn’t, and they’d shout at each other twice as loud as before.” He shrugged. “If you brought proof to the deputies yourself, some of them might listen. But Durenne would bury it first, and I can’t say I’m certain he’d be wrong. Have you considered what it would do to the country to have this crisis now? Things are bad enough at the front.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Your duty, of course. Serving your country, its queen, and its people.” Robert gave a wry grin. “It’s never quite as clear as they make it seem in class, is it?”

When Robert had departed, leaving a few coins to pay for the wine, Andy returned and sat down in the chair he’d vacated.

“What happened?” Andy said. “You don’t look happy.”