This is what is known as a _crux ansata_. The ancient Egyptians called it an _ankh_. Notice the loop at the top instead of the straight piece your true cross has. Now, your true cross--if it were properly energized, blessed, d"ye see--your true cross would tend to dissipate the evil. The _ankh_ merely vibrates to evil because of the closed loop at the top, which makes a return circuit. And it"s not energized by blessing, but by another ... um ... spell."
"Master Sean, we have a murder to investigate," said Lord Darcy.
The sorcerer caught the tone of his voice and nodded quickly. "Yes, my lord." And he walked rollingly away.
"Now where"s that secret stairway you mentioned, Sir Pierre?" Lord Darcy asked.
"This way, your lordship."
He led Lord Dacy to a wall at right angles to the outer wall and slid back another tapestry.
"Good Heavens," Darcy muttered, "does he have something concealed behind every arras in the place?" But he didn"t say it loud enough for the Privy Secretary to hear.
This time, what greeted them was a solid-seeming stone wall. But Sir Pierre pressed in on one small stone, and a section of the wall swung back, exposing a stairway.
"Oh, yes," Darcy said. "I see what he did. This is the old spiral stairway that goes round the inside of the Keep. There are two doorways at the bottom. One opens into the courtyard, the other is a postern gate through the curtain wall to the outside--but that was closed up in the sixteenth century, so the only way out is into the courtyard."
"Your lordship knows Castle D"Evreux, then?" Sir Pierre said. The knight himself was nearly fifty, while Darcy was only in his thirties, and Sir Pierre had no recollection of Darcy"s having been in the castle before.
"Only by the plans in the Royal Archives. But I have made it a point to--" He stopped. "Dear me," he interrupted himself mildly, "what is that?"
"That" was something that had been hidden by the arras until Sir Pierre had slid it aside, and was still showing only a part of itself.
It lay on the floor a foot or so from the secret door.
Darcy knelt down and pulled the tapestry back from the object. "Well, well. A .28 two-shot pocket gun. Gold-chased, beautifully engraved, mother-of-pearl handle. A regular gem." He picked it up and examined it closely. "One shot fired."
He stood up and showed it to Sir Pierre. "Ever see it before?"
The Privy Secretary looked at the weapon closely. Then he shook his head. "Not that I recall, your lordship. It certainly isn"t one of the Count"s guns."
"You"re certain?"
"Quite certain, your lordship. I"ll show you the gun collection if you want. My lord the Count didn"t like tiny guns like that; he preferred a larger caliber. He would never have owned what he considered a toy."
"Well, we"ll have to look into it." He called over Master Sean again and gave the gun into his keeping. "And keep your eyes open for anything else of interest, Master Sean. So far, everything of interest besides the late Count himself has been hiding under beds or behind arrases. Check everything. Sir Pierre and I are going for a look down this stairway."
The stairway was gloomy, but enough light came in through the arrow slits s.p.a.ced at intervals along the outer way to illuminate the interior. It spiraled down between the inner and outer walls of the Great Keep, making four complete circuits before it reached ground level. Lord Darcy looked carefully at the steps, the walls, and even the low, arched overhead as he and Sir Pierre went down.
After the first circuit, on the floor beneath the Count"s suite, he stopped. "There was a door here," he said, pointing to a rectangular area in the inner wall.
"Yes, your lordship. There used to be an opening at every floor, but they were all sealed off. It"s quite solid, as you can see."
"Where would they lead if they were open?"
"The county offices. My own office, the clerk"s offices, the constabulary on the first floor. Below are the dungeons. My lord the Count was the only one who lived in the Keep itself. The rest of the household live above the Great Hall."
"What about guests?"
"They"re usually housed in the east wing. We only have two house guests at the moment. Laird and Lady Duncan have been with us for four days."
"I see." They went down perhaps four more steps before Lord Darcy asked quietly, "Tell me, Sir Pierre, were you privy to _all_ of Count D"Evreux"s business?"
Another four steps down before Sir Pierre answered. "I understand what your lordship means," he said. Another two steps. "No, I was not. I was aware that my lord the Count engaged in certain ... er ... shall we say, liaisons with members of the opposite s.e.x. However--"
He paused, and in the gloom, Lord Darcy could see his lips tighten.
"However," he continued, "I did not procure for my lord, if that is what you"re driving at. I am not and never have been a pimp."
"I didn"t intend to suggest that you had, good knight," said Lord Darcy in a tone that strongly implied that the thought had actually never crossed his mind. "Not at all. But certainly there is a difference between "aiding and abetting" and simple knowledge of what is going on."
"Oh. Yes. Yes, of course. Well, one cannot, of course, be the secretary-in-private of a gentleman such as my lord the Count for seventeen years without knowing something of what is going on, you"re right. Yes. Yes. Hm-m-m."
Lord Darcy smiled to himself. Not until this moment had Sir Pierre realized how much he actually _did_ know. In loyalty to his lord, he had literally kept his eyes shut for seventeen years.
"I realize," Lord Darcy said smoothly, "that a gentleman would never implicate a lady nor besmirch the reputation of another gentleman without due cause and careful consideration. However,"--like the knight, he paused a moment before going on--"although we are aware that he was not discreet, was he particular?"
"If you mean by that, did he confine his attentions to those of gentle birth, your lordship, then I can say, no he did not. If you mean did he confine his attentions to the gentler s.e.x, then I can only say that, as far as I know, he did."
"I see. That explains the closet full of clothes."
"Beg pardon, your lordship?"
"I mean that if a girl or woman of the lower cla.s.ses were to come here, he would have proper clothing for them to wear--in spite of the sumptuary laws to the contrary."
"Quite likely, your lordship. He was most particular about clothing.
Couldn"t stand a woman who was sloppily dressed or poorly dressed."
"In what way?"
"Well. Well, for instance, I recall once that he saw a very pretty peasant girl. She was dressed in the common style, of course, but she was dressed neatly and prettily. My lord took a fancy to her. He said, "Now there"s a la.s.s who knows how to wear clothes. Put her in decent apparel, and she"d pa.s.s for a princess." But a girl, who had a pretty face and a fine figure, made no impression on him unless she wore her clothing well, if you see what I mean, your lordship."
"Did you ever know him to fancy a girl who dressed in an offhand manner?" Lord Darcy asked.
"Only among the gently born, your lordship. He"d say, "Look at Lady So-and-so! Nice wench, if she"d let me teach her how to dress." You might say, your lordship, that a woman could be dressed commonly or sloppily, but not both."
"Judging by the stuff in that closet," Lord Darcy said, "I should say that the late Count had excellent taste in feminine dress."
Sir Pierre considered. "Hm-m-m. Well, now, I wouldn"t exactly say so, your lordship. He knew _how_ clothes should be worn, yes. But he couldn"t pick out a woman"s gown of his own accord. He could choose his own clothing with impeccable taste, but he"d not any real notion of how a woman"s clothing should go, if you see what I mean. All he knew was how good clothing should be worn. But he knew nothing about design for women"s clothing."
"Then how did he get that closet full of clothes?" Lord Darcy asked, puzzled.
Sir Pierre chuckled. "Very simply, your lordship. He knew that the Lady Alice had good taste, so he secretly instructed that each piece that Lady Alice ordered should be made in duplicate. With small variations, of course. I"m certain my lady wouldn"t like it if she knew."
"I dare say not," said Lord Darcy thoughtfully.
"Here is the door to the courtyard," said Sir Pierre. "I doubt that it has been opened in broad daylight for many years." He selected a key from the ring of the late Count and inserted it into the keyhole. The door swung back, revealing a large crucifix attached to its outer surface. Lord Darcy crossed himself. "Lord in Heaven," he said softly, "what is this?"