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leader of the High Council, which did nothing to reassure Sasha. The rest of the Council thought the Duke a hero for the way he had defeated Ehrengard’s misguided metal army at Sevastopol.
    Personally, Sasha thought the Duke a mass murderer along the lines of his own father.
    “But the good news is the edict is only for your detainment while we corroborate your alibi. It should take a few weeks, nothing more,” Rowan finished.
    “I don’t have a few weeks. Rowan, I must return to London immediately,” he growled impatiently.
    “The Council will not be gainsaid, Sasha, you know that. If you don’t play along, you’ll only dig yourself an even deeper hole.”
    “Does this edict include Fyodor? Is he being detained as well?”
    “Unfortunately, yes,” Rowan said. “I’m sorry, Sasha.”
    Sasha groaned in frustration – and panic. He needed to return to London post-haste, if only to assure himself all was well with Finch. To assure himself this was all just an overreaction. But he was not going to voice his suspicions in front of Franco, who would just twist his words against him. He swallowed his pride, which had been severely wounded by Rowan’s betrayal, and faced his former comrade.
    “I don’t want your sympathy, my Lord,” he returned, unable to keep the ice from his voice. “I want to know if you’ll stand as my counsel.”
    Rowan looked surprised, then puzzled. “I hardly think you require one at this point, Sasha…”
    “But I am granted one, under Council law, am I not?”
    Rowan glanced at Franco, who reluctantly nodded. He sighed. “I am not the best choice to serve you in such a capacity…”
    “No doubt, but you are the most expedient. Will you or not?”
    “Of course …”
    “Then I invoke my right to counsel.”
    “Here? Now?”
    “Yes, damn you. Now.” He stepped to the side, and one of the guards attempted to block his way. Sasha just stared the man down until he lowered his weapon and allowed him to pass. After assuring Franco he was not aiding in Sasha’s escape, Rowan followed him until they were far enough away from the others not to be overheard.
    Sasha cut straight to the point. “I want you to return to London, as fast as you can.”
    “I had planned to stay here, and make sure Franco follows the rules. Despite what you think, I am on your side.”
    “Damn you and damn the rules. You were right to point out the singularity of this crime. Our victim was a woman with spectacles. A petite, unenhanced blonde-haired woman with spectacles.”
    He allowed a few moments for Rowan to grasp the significance of this, but when the Earl continued to look puzzled, Sasha sighed with impatience. “Finch, you idiot! The victim is just like Finch.”
    Rowan was dumbfounded. “Your … secretary? Miss Finch? But does she have blonde hair? I confess I hadn’t noticed.”
    “Blonde enough. And those spectacles are identical to Finch’s, down to the maker, I would wager. More importantly the woman was unenhanced and gently bred, just like Finch.”
    “How can you tell she was gently bred?” Rowan demanded.
    “The hands. Only a gently bred woman would have hands that smooth.”
    “You notice those sorts of … details … on corpses?”
    “God damn it, it’s my job. Of course I notice.”
    Rowan shook his head as he took it all in. “But why? Why target her , I mean, Miss Finch, of all people?”
    “If I knew the why of anything this bastard does, we’d have caught him by now.”
    “I will return to London as soon as I can to assure myself of her safety, of course.” Rowan hesitated. “Shall I explain things to her more fully? Is she more … intimately acquainted with your activities?”
    Sasha barely refrained from punching his friend in the jaw. He didn’t know why the insinuation bothered him so much, but it did. “I don’t know what you’re implying, exactly. I don’t think I want to know. Finch is my secretary. She thinks I am nothing more than a slightly annoying