Thanks :) Yes, I have a soft spot for ancient bloodlines and family seats (I put it down to too much Victoria Holt during my formative years -- all those handsome, brooding men with mysterious antecedents and huge manor houses) so it was really fun to work that in. You're right that Lucius' change of heart is shortchanged, but other commitments intervened and it ended up shorter than I planned. I wanted about three weeks worth of work solving the mystery, with a corresponding opportunity for Our Heroine to ferret out his thought processes. Curse you, real life, for interfering with writing!!!

"the morally uncomplicated Benedic" was one of my favorite lines -- glad it stood out for you :)