t's all right," Her Majesty said. "I can understand your concern for
Lady Barbara." She smiled at Malone as he turned.

Malone gaped at her. Of course she knew what he thought about Barbara;
she'd been reading his mind. And, apparently, she was on his side.
That was good, even though it made him slightly nervous to think
about.

"Now," the Queen said suddenly, "what about tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"Yes, of course," the Queen said. She smiled, and put up a hand to pat
at her white hair under the Elizabethan skullcap. "I think I should
like to go to the Palace," she said. "After all, isn't that where a
Queen should be?"

Boyd said, in a kind of explosion: "London? England?"

"Oh, dear me...." the Queen began, and Barbara said:

"I'm afraid that I simply can't allow anything like that. Overseas--"

"I didn't mean overseas, dear," Her Majesty said. "Sir Kenneth, please
explain to these people."

The Palace, Malone knew, was more properly known as the Golden Palace.
It was right in Las Vegas--convenient to all sources of money.

As a matter of fact, it was one of the biggest gambling houses along
the Las Vegas strip, a veritable chaos of wheels, cards, dice, chips
and other such devices. Malone explained all this to the others,
wondering meanwhile why Miss Thompson wanted to go there.

"Not Miss Thompson, _please_, Sir Kenneth," Her Majesty said.

"Not Miss Thompson what?" Boyd said. "What's going on anyhow?"

"She's reading my mind," Malone said.

"Well, then," Boyd snapped, "tell her to keep it to herself." The car
started up again with a roar and Malone and the others were thrown
around again, this time toward the back. There was a chorus of groans
and squeals, and they were on their way once more.

"To reply to your question, Sir Kenneth," the Queen said.

Lady Barbara said, with some composure: "What question--Your Majesty?"

The Queen nodded regally at her. "Sir Kenneth was wondering why I
wished to go to the Golden Palace," she said. "And my reply is this:
it is none of your business why I want to go there. After all, is my
word law, or isn't it?"

There didn't seem to be a good enough answer to that, Malone thought
sadly. He kept quiet and was relieved to note that the others did the
same. However, after a second he thought of something else.

"Your Majesty," he began carefully, "we've got to go to Yucca Flats
tomorrow. Remember?"

"Certainly," the Queen said. "My memory is quite good, thank you.