Soonia Darniss stared at the small cottage doubtfully. It stood all alone in the middle of flat, empty moorland, land so poor that not even grass would grow on it. Bare rock poked through in places, and everywhere else the soil was so thin that it could only support a few scrubby, stunted patches of Heather. On her journey here, she had been reliably informed that the nearest other habitation was twenty miles away. The only sound was the wind whispering across the low, rounded hills and the distant cawing of a crow.

     This was where she was supposed to spend the rest of her life? She was a Duchess! She deserved a palace! And she deserved staff who would obey her, not prison guards. They weren't called guards, of course. There was a cook, a gardener, a handyman and a stable man, but they were all retired army men and any one of them was strong and fit enough to physically overpower her any time he wanted. It was a prison in all but name, but it would be a comfortable one. A mark of King Leothan's gratitude for what she'd done for Ardria in Carrow. She smiled to herself as she remembered the sour look on his face as he'd pronounced her sentence. He would much rather have thrown her back into the dungeons, but Ardria had made her a promise and the keeping of promises was something that the Regis family took seriously.

     “Do you wish to enter?” asked the stable man from his seat at the front of the carriage.

     Darniss had already forgotten his name. Fram something, she thought. She sighed and opened the door. At least she'd be able to see her daughter, Louisa, and her family, including the two grandchildren she’d never seen. Every conversation she had with them would be carefully monitored, of course, to make sure they weren't plotting something. That infuriated her, but perhaps there'd be something she could do about it, given time.

     She was still Soonia Darniss Pardew, born to rule, and they wouldn't be able to keep her living the life of a dotty recluse for ever. This was just temporary, and far preferable to the hangman’s noose. She would rise again! The Pardews would rise again! She knew she was getting on in years. It was unlikely that power would return in her lifetime, but her daughter, or one of her children, would see the return of the Pardews to glory and they would remember her as the one who had made it possible.

     As she and the stable man walked to the small cottage, she turned her head to look at him. There was something familiar to him. She'd seen him, or a close relative of his, during her time as a Matron in the King’s service. She'd discovered something juicy about him and made a note of it as something Carrow could use. What had it been?

     “Excuse me,” she said, “but did you ever have occasion to visit Paisley Palace?”

     The stable man hesitated before answering and Darniss found herself amused by his dilemma. They were supposed to limit their conversations with her as much as possible, but remaining silent would have been impolite. “Not me,” he said. “My brother, Colm, was a member of the palace guard, though.”

     Memory returned with a snap and she smiled to herself. “Ah yes,” she said. “Colm Dennor. I remember I had a file on him. He had that nasty gambling problem, didn't he?”

     The stable man immediately tensed up with hostility. “He did nothing wrong,” he said angrily, and she saw him promising himself that her stay in this cottage would now be rather less pleasant than it would have been. She'd just made an enemy, she saw him thinking. Well, she thought. We'll see about that.

     “He stole from the palace to pay off his gambling debts,” added Darniss. “I became aware of it rather quickly. I took notes and I had him followed. I know what went missing and where it ended up. I gathered enough proof to have him thrown in prison for many, many years.”

     The man glared at her. “Ah, you’ve decided to kill me,” said Darniss with a smile. “I'm going to have an accident. Choke on a rabbit bone, perhaps, to keep me from talking. Unfortunately, Lord Krell kept scrupulous records, and every report I ever sent back to Carrow is stored somewhere in his data archives, gathering dust until Helberion agents stumble across it during the course of their investigations. They're going through them with a fine tooth comb, you know, and it’s only a matter of time before they find mention of your brother. Killing me won't save him.”

     “Then why are you telling me?” asked the stable man. “Is it just to torment me? Maybe I'll kill you anyway, just for my own personal satisfaction.”

     “Not at all. I want to help you. I know exactly where Lord Krell stored my dispatches. I can tell you where. You can go there and set fire to the place. Your brother will be safe, and so will every other Helberian I gathered dirt on over the course of my illustrious career. I want so little in return.”

     The man glared furiously at her, but she saw fear as well. He knew she was trying to manoeuvre him into a trap. Could he find a way to wriggle free and still save his brother? “What would you want?” he asked. “Hypothetically.”

     “So little!” said Darniss, her voice soft and reasonable. “Just the chance to meet with my daughter, in private. Without anyone listening.”

     “The King has expressly forbidden that.”

     “He doesn’t have to know. Please, it’s such a small thing I ask for. What would be the harm?”

     “And in return you'll tell me where Lord Krell keeps his records?”

     “Later. There's plenty of time before the King’s agents find them. It'll probably take them months to sort through everything. I want to meet with my daughter first. Explain to her who she is and the glorious history of her family.” And the glorious future that lies ahead if she does what I say. “I'll be expecting to receive a message from her two or three days later. A message containing code words telling me that she's followed my instructions."

     “What instructions?”

     “Nothing you need worry about. No need to give me your answer now. Take your time, think about it. Just remember that the King’s agents are moving closer to Lord Krell's records every day. You may not have as much time as you think.”

     “You bitch! The King should have executed you! I should kill you now!”

     Darniss stopped and turned to look him straight in the eye. “Then do it. Put your hands around my throat and kill me now. I'm just a frail old woman. How can I possibly defend myself?”

     For a moment the stable man looked as thought he might. Darniss made herself stand straight and lifted her chin, as if offering her throat to him. The stable man actually lifted his hands, but then he turned and stalked off towards the house, his whole body radiating desperation and fear. Darniss smiled to herself and followed him.