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another fork and jabbed it gently but firmly into the green baize cloth. 'Again and again and again. That's what she said.' Mrs Taplow jabbed the fork in time with her words. Taplow looked away.
    'I'm thinking of the security angle, Lizzie, you do appreciate that,' he said after a while, fingering the letter. 'Gossip has never interested me, I can say that with my hand on my heart. You should know that, Lizzie: gossip writers and sneak photographers, I've no time for them.' He paused. 'But security, yes. We have a responsibility here. I've been asked, we've been asked, to report anything odd. They're jittery about this wedding, it's obvious. So we have to report anything odd.'
    'Is it odd for a woman scorned to write that kind of letter?'
    'Well, what do you think, Lizzie?' Taplow abandoned the letter and looked directly at his wife.
    'I've never been a woman scorned, Kenneth,' replied Mrs Taplow equably, 'so I wouldn't have the least idea.'
    'Well then, look at this now - all this about blood for example. Isn't that odd? If it's not odd, I tell you I certainly find it quite disgusting.'
    Mrs Taplow put down her cloth and took the letter. She adjusted the small spectacles on her nose, which had hung round her neck on a cord, low enough to give the impression of a chatelaine's keys.
    'This blood to which you're referring is the blood of animals,' she said at last; she sounded very patient. 'Not his blood, Kenneth, but the blood of innocent animals. Innocent animals which have already been slaughtered. She, Mirabella, is not threatening to shed our Prince's blood. It's a matter of fact, Kenneth, that she is not.'
    'It is a matter of fact, Lizzie, as you put it, that she is threatening to come and daub him, and anybody near him, including HRH. with buckets of animals' blood, innocent animals' blood or not, that is disgusting, Lizzie, which-we have discussed before — in a certain connection -' He stopped.
    'It hasn't happened yet.' Ignoring his last remark, Mrs Taplow spoke with an air of unshaken patience.
    'I'm telling the police. Before it happens. Yes, I know what that will mean, Lizzie. Believe me, I do. Detectives all over the place. It's bad enough when HRH pays us one of her little visits. I am well aware of all that, Lizzie. And when I drive him, that detective always sitting in the front, making small talk as if it was normal him sitting there!' Taplow snorted. 'But then again, they might move him. Have you thought of that?'
    'Move him?' For the first time Mrs Taplow sounded a little surprised.
    'Move him to cp. There's masses of room at the Palace since the old Duke died. Self-contained flat, etc., etc. No suggestion of impropriety, naturally. The detective who spoke to me was in two minds about the whole thing anyway; thought our Prince might well be better off all along at cp.'
    'And how will you explain the fact that you read his letters?'
    'I'm going to tell the truth,' replied Taplow loftily. 'Find me that number, Lizzie. I don't trust these professional animal lovers, I don't trust them one inch. A violent lot. Are you going to disagree?'
    'And what is that supposed to mean, Kenneth?' enquired Mrs Taplow, her composure restored.
    'I was thinking of the Trooping the Colour. And the Opening of Parliament last year. Was that or was it not violent? Talk about blood - there was enough blood about then, the horses' blood, innocent horses, Lizzie.'
    'If you're referring to Innoright, Kenneth, as I believe you arc, Innoright had nothing whatsoever to do with the Opening of Parliament incident. You know perfectly well that Innoright is non-violent.' Mrs Taplow, with deliberation, drew out a small poster from the drawer beneath the table, on which the word  'innoright ' in red was clearly visible. A variety of animals' faces peered out of the letters, amongst which a tiger and a monkey could be distinguished.
    '"Innoright abhors all violence." Do you hear that, Kenneth? And here it is again: "Innoright specifically docs