The poisoned chalice

cool and fragrant under a red-streaked sky. Vauban took us along narrow, winding paths between raised flower beds and into a small orchard. Now, at first, I thought the pieces of cloth hanging from the trees were some subtle decoration but, on closer scrutiny, I nearly fainted with terror. The orchard was small and enclosed, the trees closely grouped together, and from the branches of many hung a number of corpses, the only consolation being that their faces were hidden beneath black, leather hoods. Vauban just ignored them and kept up his inane chatter but Benjamin stopped and stared around this small forest of the damned. 'What is this?' he whispered.
    Vauban looked surprised and stared up at the trees as if he was some proud fruiterer.
    'Oh, these,' he declared. 'These are the fruits, the crop of my hard work. They were members of His Most Christian Majesty's household who believed they could steal from the royal treasury or make profits by selling secrets to the agents of foreign powers.' He studied the legs of one corpse and tapped it playfully on the foot so the remains danced evilly and the branch from which they hung creaked and groaned. 'This is Reynard,' Vauban continued. 'He was a squire in the chancery and thought he would make a little profit in telling what he knew to Venetian spies.' Vauban stepped back as if expecting our applause.
    I just looked away, pinching my nostrils with my fingers, for beneath the sweet smell of apple I caught the sickly stench of corruption.
    'The marshal of the royal household always hangs them here,' Vauban continued. 'Anyone guilty of lese-majesty ends his time in my orchard.'
    We walked on, the mameluke and his cats still padding behind. We came to the edge of the steps and stretching out below us, about a mile across, was an intricate maze.
    'Do you like it?' Vauban asked. 'The hedges are of boxwood and privet. It was first laid out by Louis XI whom you English call the Spider King. Do you know the story of the maze?' Benjamin shook his head wordlessly.
    'Louis wanted to go on crusade to the Holy Land.' Vauban spread his hands. 'But you know the burdens of high office. He was unable to keep his vow, so instead he laid out this maze and every Good Friday crawled on his knees to the centre to make his devotions. Come, let me show you, then we will see the king.'
    We followed him down and entered the narrow tunnels of the maze. On each side of us, the boxwood hedges stretched up about three yards high. The paths were narrow, about half a yard across, so we were forced to follow Vauban in single file. My terror increased when I heard the mameluke pad softly behind us and the purring of the great cats as they pulled at the ends of their chains. Still talking, Vauban led us round one corner after another until I had lost all sense of direction, whilst above us the sky darkened and the sun began to set. Benjamin looked around and threw one anxious glance at me. I shared his fears. We were now in the thick of Vauban's treachery.
    At last we reached the centre of the maze. A small circle, the ground pebble-dashed, in the middle a simple, wooden cross and two stone benches. Vauban sat on one of these and gently wiped the sweat from his brow with the silken cuff of his sleeve. He looked up and breathed in the evening air.
    'I love coming here,' he said quietly. 'Only I know the way in and the way out.'
    Benjamin sat next to him whilst I stared round. There was no sign of the mameluke and his cats.
    'And you don't intend us to leave, do you, Monsieur Vauban?'
    The Frenchman smiled and I saw his hand go to where his dagger was hidden.
    'My master wanted you to be killed immediately,' he answered, his face becoming serious. 'But you are like me, Master Daunbey. We work in the shadows of the great ones. Our game is one of luck and chance.' He rose and went to one of the entrances. 'It's all a game.' He bowed slightly. 'Bonne chance, Messieurs!’
    And, before we could object or say anything, he slipped down the darkened path. I ran after him but he just disappeared. All I could hear was faint, mocking laughter and the tinkling of those bloody bells. 'Come back, Roger,' Benjamin murmured. 'We have been trapped!' I wailed.
    'Yes, Roger, we have been trapped. But if we escape we will know who the murderer is, though I am still a little puzzled as to how some of the deaths were arranged.' He squinted up at the darkening sky. 'We were invited here because Raphael has seen through our little