l me."

The grin broadened on the Bailiff's puffy lips.

"You can bet your last sou on that! It would have broken my heart not to
be the first to tell you...."

Jacques took a threatening step toward him.

"I'll break more than your heart if you don't answer my question...."

"Patience, pa--Oh, all right!" the Bailiff hastily interrupted himself
as Jacques took another step in his direction. "You've got a woman to
shoot down this time--and that's just half the story!"

Jacques' craggy features hardened into immobility.

"What's the rest of it, fool?"

"There's gossip going around that she's a page out of your past--maybe
several pages, or even a whole chapter!"

Jacques leaped the rest of the distance to the door and grabbed the
Bailiff by his lace collar, twisting it until his round, fat cheeks
swelled and reddened.

"Who is it?"

"L-Lady Ann--of--Coberly!"

Jacques thumped his head against the side of the doorway.

"I told you to knock off that drivel."

"But--but that's all I know--I swear it! I just got here this morning,
too, and took a quick peek at the calendar when I heard all the rumors
out among the tents...!"

Jacques shoved him out into the hallway, and stalked back into the room.
The Bailiff straightened his collar, but made no move to leave.

"M'Lord," he jibed, breathing heavily, "there's also a rumor that you
have no stomach for executing any woman. Can that be true?"

Jacques only scowled in reply, but he knew that _this_ rumor, at least,
was true. The last woman had been back in the Fifth Judicial District. A
flint-faced murderess with the shoulders of a man. But the horror of
firing the coup du mort into her naked, contorted body still came back
to haunt his dreams. For weeks afterwards he hadn't been able to touch
the women who came so eagerly to his tent during the wild execution
night Festivals.

The Bailiff's coarse voice continued to prod at him:

"I'm sure you'll remember this one, once you see her! I've just come
from watching her being dressed for Court!" The Bailiff's bloodshot
right eye winked suggestively. "My duty, y'know, to protect their
Judicial Highnesses by checking for concealed weapons."

"Get out of here!"

The Bailiff fell back a step, but continued talking.

"I'd say she's your type all right--full of fire! Too bad you have to
kill her instead of...."

Jacques ripped the white tunic from his squire's trembling hands and
hurled it into the Bailiff's f