“Speak softly,” he said at length, “and in English.”
“What does this mean?” Amé asked. “Tell me quickly. Why are we here and who are these people?”
In answer the Duke sat down in one of the high velvet armchairs that stood on either side of the fireplace.
“It is very clever,” he said, “and something that I could never have anticipated in a thousand years.”
“Explain to me, Your Grace,” Amé pleaded.
“On one thing at any rate I can set your mind at rest,” the Duke said. “This is not because of you.”
“Then why have we been brought here?” Amé enquired.
“As an insult to the Queen,” the Duke replied.”
Amé looked puzzled and the Duke explained the reason why the Duc de Chartres had forced his hospitality upon them.
“The Duc is the acknowledged enemy of the Queen,” the Duke went on. “There
