Was it—
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
A servant entered. "Sir Martin is here, my lord."
The Viceroy got to his feet. "Show him in, by all means."
Sir Martin, just behind the servant, stepped in, smiling, and the Viceroy returned his smile. "Well, everything went off well enough without you," said Sir Martin.
"Any sign of trouble?"
"None, my lord; none whatsoever. The—"
"Damn!" the Viceroy interrupted savagely. "I should have known! What have I done but display my cowardice? I'm getting yellow in my old age!"
Sir Martin shook his head. "Cowardice, my lord? Nothing of the sort. Prudence, I should call it. By the by, the judge and a few others are coming over." He chuckled softly. "We thought we might talk you out of a meal."