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No one could get the duke to take more than the smallest sip of water The last real drink he’d had had been during that brief period of sanity when Finchley tried the chess gambit

"It’s chess," Finchley said to Mrs Ferrers "It’s the only thing that speaks to hih, the duke, voice cracked and hoarse froht, said, "That’s tns in return for the sacrifice…" His hands waved pieces in the air: they had to give him chess pieces or he plucked thehoulish that Mrs Ferrers said it quite gave her a turn

"I’ to fetch the duchess," Finchley stated

"The Duchess of Beauht as how you said that thethe duchess see him in this condition"

"Noat his ain, his face red and pinched "But he’ll die soon I have to try it"

He took the duke’s own carriage, and stamped up the steps to the town residence of the Duke of Beau "I won’t have that," the Beau his request "The duke has enough to plague hi on Villiers at his ho that they’re on their way to a tryst"

"He’s sick unto death," Finchley said desperately "No one could think that"

"Don’t be a fool," the butler replied "You know perfectly well Villiers could be a corpse in that bed, and the stories will have hi is to speak to Beaumont himself Because if the duke acco to it"

"Do you think he would?" Finchley said "You know that Villiers and Beaumont aren’t the best of friends"

Mr Fowle drew himself up "His Grace may not approve of Villiers’s actions, but he would never desert a man in need"

Noout before the duke

"Daing Villiers in the first place Bring reatcoat, Fowle"

"The duchess?" Finchley asked

"The duchess has retired to bed," Beauame of chess, I’ll play with hi desperate "I tried to play chess with him, Your Grace It’s not just that he needs to play chess; I’m afraid that no one but the duchess will do Please, could we rouse her? Please?"

Beauoodwithin the hour, I’ll drive back here myself and cart my wife over to the house Will that be sufficient?"

Finchley bowed "Yes, Your Grace"

It was only a feeeks since Elijah had watched Villiers’s grand entrance to Jemma’s party But now Villiers’s eyes seemed to have sunk into his head There was a horrible lividity around his forehead that htly

The duke walked forward, pulling off his greatcoat and throwing it behind hi a rook in the air and as Elijah cocked his ear, he heard hi about a backward queen’s pawn

"I’ll try," he had told Finchley But he couldn’t talk to Villiers, not with a foot heavily to his right, and the house keeper peering in from the stairs "I’ll ask you all to leave"

Finchley started to say soave recalcitrant legislators in the House of Lords

Once the room was quiet, Elijah pulled the chair closer "Villiers," he said

There was no appreciable response "Your Grace!" he said more loudly "Villiers!"