“Enter,” the duke called.

The door swung open and the first minister walked in, appearing terribly frail. It struck Tobbar that this was a waste of all their time. He and his minister would both be dead before long. Why not let this pass?

But he knew better. Seeing her now, allowing himself to wonder if she had indeed betrayed him, the duke felt anger welling in his chest. In spite of everything he had said to Marston a few moments earlier, he wanted to know the truth. And if she had killed his nephew or paid others to do so, he wanted her dead.

“You called for me, my lord,” she said, glancing at each of the three men.

“Close the door, Enid.”

The minister hesitated, perhaps sensing from his tone that this was to be no ordinary conversation. She pushed the door closed and took her customary seat by his writing table.

“How may I serve, my lord?” she asked, a brittle smile on her lips.

“The thane’s minister was just telling me of a conversation he had with you in your chambers.”

“Yes. He asked me to tell him of your correspondence with the king. I thought it an odd request, since your son could just as easily have asked you, but I saw no reason to keep anything from him. Would you have preferred that I say nothing?”

“That’s not the conversation to which I was referring.”

“Then I’m afraid I can’t help you, my lord. It’s the only conversation we’ve had.”

She looked and sounded as calm as ever. Even searching for some sign that she was lying to him, Tobbar saw none.

“According to Xivled, you offered to put him in touch with the leaders of the Qirsi conspiracy. You even promised him gold.”

The minister laughed. “Did I offer as well to make him emperor of Braedon?” She looked over at Marston, as if expecting to hear him laugh with her. When he didn’t-when none of them did-she sobered, facing the duke again. “You’re not serious, my lord.”

“You deny it?”

She paled. “Of course I do. I know little more about the conspiracy than you do, my lord. I’ve certainly had no contact with anyone involved with it. And I have no gold to promise.”

“You’re lying!” Marston said, striding toward her.

“Be quiet, Marston!” Tobbar eyed her for several moments, trying to decide how to proceed. “So you’re telling me that the two of you spoke only of the messages I’ve exchanged with the king? There was nothing more?”

Enid glanced at Xivled, looking uncomfortable. “That’s not entirely the case. I’m reluctant to say anything that might harm the reputation of another Qirsi, but your son’s minister spoke of the thane in terms that can best be described as insulting. He questioned Lord Shanstead’s judgment and intelligence, and expressed great bitterness at the treatment he had received from the thane.” She turned in her chair to look at Marston. “Were I in your position, my lord, I would be reluctant to place much faith in this man. I believe in time he will betray you.”

“As you’ve betrayed my father?”

“I’ve done no such thing, Lord Shanstead. If this minister of yours has told you otherwise, he’s a liar.”

“I know him too well to believe that,” Marston said.

“Apparently the years you’ve spent together mean little to him, my lord. He’s yet to deny that he said those things about you.”

Marston grinned darkly. “I don’t expect him to deny it. I told him to speak to you so, knowing that you’d reply by asking him to join the conspiracy.”

Enid glared at him for a moment before looking at Tobbar again. “You knew about this?”

“No,” the duke said. “They did this on their own, and I’ve already chided them for it. But what Xivled told me about your conversation disturbed me greatly. I was hoping you could explain.”

“So you believe I’ve betrayed you. You’re willing to take this man’s word over mine, though I’ve served you well for all these years.”

‘ ’This man,‘ as you put it, is the son of my former first minister, the Qirsi you replaced. I’ve known him longer than I’ve known you.“ Tobbar exhaled heavily. ”But still, I don’t know who to believe. One of you must be lying, and so one of you must be a traitor. So what is your counsel, First Minister? How am I to decide?“

For the first time, he saw her falter, as if she thought the question itself a trap. In truth, Tobbar hadn’t intended it as such, though he realized now that it placed her in an awkward position. If she had betrayed him, she could only offer more denials and accusations.

“It is a difficult matter, my lord,” she said slowly. “You must consider all that you know of both of us. You may have known the minister’s father, but do you know him? Do you know all that you should about his feelings for your son? For while he may hold you in esteem, his opinion of the thane may be more difficult to fathom.”

“To be honest, Enid, I can’t claim to know either of you, at least not as you suggest. The Qirsi may have magic that allows them to see into a person’s heart and mind, but I’m just an Eandi noble.”

“Perhaps the minister will allow us to search her chambers,” Marston suggested.

“To what end?” Tobbar asked, facing his son. “What would we be searching for?”

“Gold,” Xivled said.

They all looked at the younger minister.

“If she’s allied with the conspiracy, they’ll be paying her. From what I’ve heard, the leaders of this movement have a good deal of gold and pay their underlings quite well.”

“Where does this wealth come from?” the duke asked.

Xivled shook his head. “I don’t know, my lord.”

Tobbar eyed Enid for several moments. “What do you think of that, First Minister. May we search your chambers?”

“Who will search his?” she demanded, pointing at Marston’s minister.

“I will,” Marston said. “As soon as we return to Shanstead. You have my word.”

“Well, Enid?”

“This is foolishness,” she said, refusing to look at the duke. “I’ve told you already, I have nothing to do with this conspiracy. If there had ever been gold lying around in my chamber, I’d have spent it long ago.”

Marston opened his hands. “Then you have nothing to fear from letting us examine your quarters.”

She sat motionless in her chair, her eyes trained on the floor, wide and wild, like those of a treed wildcat.

And in that instant, Tobbar knew. Marston had been right all along. Enid had betrayed him for the Qirsi conspiracy. Somewhere in her chambers lay a pouch of gold that would prove beyond doubt that she was a traitor, an enemy of every Eandi in the Forelands. A part of him wanted to strike her; a part of him wanted to weep as he hadn’t since Liene’s death. Until just then, he hadn’t realized how much he valued Enid’s friendship-or rather, the illusion of friendship she had offered him all these years.

Which might have been why he deigned to give her one last chance at redemption.

“If you tell me everything,” he said, his voice so gentle he might have been speaking to a lover, “I’ll spare your life. You can live out your last days in the prison tower. I promise you comfort, meals, warmth in the colder-”

Enid began to laugh, a chilling sound that made the duke shudder and flinch away.

“You offer me the comfort of an Eandi prison?” she asked. “And knowing what you do now, you expect me to accept?” The woman shook her head, a harsh grin frozen on her face. “You’re an even greater fool than I believed. I’d sooner endure the tortures of your pitiful dungeon than tell you anything. You might as well kill me here, Tobbar.”

“You could at least tell me why,” he said. “I never did anything to you but offer you my trust, my friendship, and the opportunity to serve this house.”

“ ‘The opportunity…’?” she repeated, laughing again. “Could you truly be such an ass? The only opportunity you ever gave me was the opportunity to strike a blow at the Eandi courts of this kingdom. I came to you a traitor, you fool. I have been true to my heart since the day I first set foot in this castle. I am grateful for your trust and your friendship, but only because they enabled me to serve my people so well for so long.”