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Finchley looked down at the duke He seemed peaceful, but even as he watched, Villiers opened his eyes and began to struggle up again Finchley jumped forward and held him down

"I must play!" the duke bellowed

"Even then, his mind may be per doards in a disapproving sniff "A man with his e of derangeh to put his mind into a permanent state of restlessness"

"No!" Finchley cried, relaxing his grip on Villiers’s ar state "The duke is perfectly sane in mind and body He simply has a fever"

"The piece! I must make my move!" Villiers whispered His voice was a little hoarse, so Finchley put a glass of water to his mouth Some of it spilled down his throat He’d never seen his et a priest to him," Banderspit said briskly "As I said, a man of such moral turpitude will likely die of it He has no reason to live other than degenerate desires, and that’s no inspiration"

"That is not the case!" Finchley cried

"Has he family?"

"No"

"Obviously he’s not h it appears that he’s working to ruin other people’s ain He opened his eyes and fixed them on Finchley’s face "Finchley?"

"Yes, Your Grace," Finchley said, bending over

"I have to play the piece, Finchley You know that She’ll have to coe" His hand loosened and his head dropped back to the pillow

"Raving," Banderspit said "I doubt that bleeding hi"

Finchley had his doubts about bleeding Hadn’t the surgeon bled the second footuished in the attics for a ht that he would have gotten better on his own, if they hadn’t taken blood froree with you," he said to Banderspit "Bleeding is unlikely to help"

Banderspit cast hieon," he said "You’ve no right to call anyone else"

"I won’t," Finchley said, autoain to rise and go play his chess piece

"I shall return this afternoon," Banderspit announced "If His Grace is no better, and I have no expectation that he will be, I will bleed hih his , I have taken my oath under God to do all I can for sinners as well as the blessed"

Right, Finchley thought Especially when the sinners of this world pay you so well He got Banderspit out of the roo from side to side

There was no help for it The duchess had to play her piece

He went to the door and called for the butler

Chapter 13

Fletch e a tedious afternoon with Gill feeling rather thoughtful He had all the slightly resentful shame of a schoolboy who’d broken aOf course he would make it all better with Poppy It had been a week and surely she had cal in his pocket Maybe he’d just leave it in her bedchay

But no: thinking of the shock in her eyes, he knew that he had to do the thing properly The thoughtfun about Poppy anymore The only fun was in flirtation

He handed his cloak to Quince