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“There are many explanations for why a woman might fail to bring a pregnancy to term,” Tom
said. “Especially a woman from this particular lineage.”
“Ah yes, the royal disease which no one acknowledges,” Trevor mused. “Do you think that the
Hanover bleeding disorder could possibly play into this riddle?”
“Hemophilia taints the royal bloodline,” Tom said, “and thus, I would imagine, the bedrooms of
the royal marriages. I shall do a little research and make that report on the morrow as well.”
“So here is what we have,” Rayley said. “A dance master who instructs and thus is connected
to several women within the Romanov family and who also is having a love affair with the wife of
the tsar’s personal guard. A revolutionary group which seems suspiciously willing to accept
outsiders but who also managed to get the brother of one of their high ranking officers into the Winter
Palace where he was subsequently killed. A lady in waiting to the Queen’s granddaughter who has
also been murdered, most likely because of something she learned in her unofficial capacity as a
royal spy, and who was dressed after death in the costume of the aforementioned dance master. This
Queen’s younger daughter wishes to marry the son of the tsar while the Queen’s older granddaughter
is married to the tsar’s brother. That marriage may be unconsummated and this fact may be known
among the couple’s servants or it is also possible that she has been unable to conceive due to a
hereditary illness which no one within either royal house is willing to acknowledge. And then we
have a palace police force and private guard who function as separate units but which collectively
seem quite happy to beat each other in saunas, procure Asian whores and opium, and accept
ridiculous explanations for the three dead bodies that have been found on their watch within a single
week. Am I leaving anything out?”
“Obviously you’re leaving quite a lot out, but we don’t know what any of it is yet,” Tom said.
“Let us all continue down our separate lines of inquiry and we shall resume at the same time
tomorrow,” Trevor said. “Perhaps the connections between all these facts will be a little clearer
then. And Emma, under the circumstances I’m not sure it’s wise for you to continue your lessons with
Antonovich.”
“Under what circumstances?” Emma asked. “The circumstances that he’s been put forward as
a suspect in the most unconvincing manner possible? Such a charge gives me greater incentive to stay
close to the man than ever, does it not?”
“She’s right,” Rayley said. “There’s no reason to abandon our stronghold in the theater,
especially not now, after a third body has been found there.”