“And, like a governor, the Duchess holds the powers of judicial review and commutation,” Maxwell pointed out in turn. “And, like a governor, she’s effectively the chief magistrate of her duchy. Which means she needs a functioning system of courts and law enforcement in place.”

“To enforce it against whom?” Honor asked plaintively. “The total population of the duchy is—what? Clear up to two thousand now? Scattered over how many thousands of square kilometers?”

“The actual number is a bit higher than that,” Maxwell told her. “Not a lot, I’ll admit, but higher. And it’s about to get a lot higher than it is, for another reason with which your Grayson experience with Sky Domes should make you familiar. Once the survey and construction crews for the ski lodges move in, the current population is going to go up by at least a factor of five. And once the lodges and resorts start attracting tourists and the permanent population to service them, the number will skyrocket.”

“All right, all right,” Honor sighed. “I surrender. Pull together a proposal for me by next Wednesday, and I promise to get back to you on it as soon as I can.”

“Hear that, Nimitz?” the attorney said over his shoulder, to the cream and gray ’cat sprawled comfortably on the custom-made perch beside his smaller, dappled brown and cream mate. Nimitz pricked up his ears, and Maxwell chuckled. “I expect you to keep an eye on her and see to it that she really does pay attention to my memos,” he said.

Nimitz considered him for a moment, then rose to a half-sitting position on the perch, and raised his true-hands. He placed the right true-hand, fingers together and palm facing to the left, on the upturned palm of his left true-hand, which pointed away from his body. The right true-hand slid out along the left palm, over the left fingers, and stopped with its heel resting on the left fingertips.

“Traitor,” Honor muttered darkly as she read the sign for “Okay,” and Nimitz bleeked a laugh and started signing again.

<Not my fault you need a keeper,> the flashing fingers said. <Besides, he brings celery.>

“To think your loyalty can be bought so cheaply,” Honor told him, shaking her head sorrowfully.

<Not loyalty,> Nimitz’s true-hands replied. <Just cooperation.>

“Right,” Honor snorted. Then she looked back at Maxwell. “Well, now that you’ve recruited your furry minion, I suppose I really don’t have any choice but to read your memo. Although, exactly where you expect me to fit it into my schedule is beyond me.”

“I’m sure that between them Mac and Miranda can find somewhere to steal an hour or two for you to spend reading. I promise I’ll make it as concise as I can, too. But before you approve any plans, you really do need to read more than just the digest and the section heads, Your Grace. I’m flattered that you trust me, but the ultimate decisions and the consequences they may have are up to you.”