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“His daughter, a maid of honour in the queen's service, has emerged as the primary suspect. Only through my intervention has she not been arrested and charged.”

The king stood then and walked toward the tall windows to peer out at the river traffic.

The hour was yet early, not quite ten o'clock.

Outside, the tell-tale London fog still clung to the river's edge, affording only a brief glimpse of the tiltboats and barges floating slowly downstream on their daily journey through the city.

Rolfe remained silent while the king contemplated his next words.

“This leads me to the purpose for your sojourn here to the city.”

Charles turned. “I wish to place you as guard to the young lady until sufficient proof of her guilt—or innocence—of the crime can be determined.”

Rolfe looked at the king. “I would suppose, then, that you do not believe the girl responsible for the crime?”

Charles waved his hand through the air as if shooing away an imaginary fly.

“Whether she is guilty or innocent is of no matter to me. I simply wish to make certain that the girl is not charged with a crime she did not truly commit. You know how things of this nature can be. Life in London is good these days, perhaps too good. The members of my court grow bored. A noted nobleman is found murdered. Rumors begin to circulate throughout the galleries. They somehow hear that Lady Cassia was there when the crime was discovered and they have her deemed guilty even before the body has yet grown cold. The possibility of her being innocent never crosses their minds for, you see, that would not make for interesting parlor gossip.”

Charles's distaste for that aspect of his court was evident. It was a feeling Rolfe, from personal experience, tended to share.

Still he remained curious.

“If you don't mind my asking, Your Majesty, why has this case attracted your attention?”

“Because I do not wish to see the girl mistreated. Lady Cassia is...” Charles paused a moment, his expression softening, “... most important to me.”

Rolfe needed no further explanation. The king's amorous affiliations within the court were both numerous and well-known.

This Lady Cassia Montefort was quite obviously one of a growing number of the king's mistresses, a constantly expanding collection known derisively around Whitehall as “the Cattle.”

Thus the true and not-so-easily hidden purpose for the king’s intervention on the lady’s behalf.

“So you wish for me to investigate and discover who is truly responsible for the murder?”

“Indirectly, yes. You see, I also want Cassia removed from court for a while.

Without her here to serve as a reminder of it all, the gossip will surely die down and this whole distasteful episode will soon blow over.

I am assigning you as guard to watch over her until such time as I feel it is safe for her to return to court.

Make no mistake though, the situation is quite serious.

I am placing her life in your hands, Rolfe.

The Montefort family seat is located in Cambridgeshire.

I charge you to take her there and keep her under your watchful eye until such time as I send word that it is safe for her to return to London.

I realize this will prevent you from personally overseeing the work at Ravenwood, but I'm hoping it will not be for all that long. Several weeks at the most.”

It wouldn't have mattered to Rolfe if the task would have taken a year.

He had vowed himself in service to his king and when he was given an assignment, any assignment, it was his duty to see it through, no matter the inconveniences.

“You believe Lady Cassia's life to be in danger then, Your Majesty?”

“I have learned through experience never to discount anything. If there exists even the smallest possibility that Lady Cassia is innocent, then, yes, her life could be in danger, given that she was there when her father was murdered. I wish to protect her. I know of no other man I would trust with the task. Rolfe, your dedication to duty is unquestionable. Your honor is irrefutable. I have no doubt that you would risk your own life to save hers. I cannot say the same for others. In the meantime, I would also ask that you make inquiries—discreet inquiries, if you will—through your vast acquaintanceship here in London to see if you can discern whether or not Lady Cassia did, in fact, commit the crime.”

Charles turned and regarded Rolfe closely. “And if you should find out that Lady Cassia is indeed guilty, I would that you bring your information to me—and me alone.”

And there, in a tidy nutshell, lay the king’s true intentions.

Rolfe realized that Charles did not particularly care if the crime was ever solved, nor did he care if this Lady Cassia Montefort had actually committed the murder.

Indeed, it seemed as if he, as well as the other members of the court, already believed her guilty.

Why else would Charles want this woman—a woman who was his mistress no less—out of the city and thus out of his bed?

The king did not really care if justice was served. He just wanted to make certain his mistress did not have to face the consequences of it—and by virtue of his relationship with her, his own embarrassment.

And it would be Rolfe's duty to see that he succeeded in that enterprise.

So he asked, “Pray, Your Majesty, where might I find the fair Lady Cassia?”