At Swords' Point by Andre Norton

Author:Andre Norton
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Open Road Media

“This — see here,” Quinn's nail retraced its path. “I don't know whether you know anything about heraldry?”

Joris shook his head.

“Well, originally all arms were devised to be read — they were to serve as a man's signature. There are alterations of each family shield to place its bearer in the line of inheritance — as the heir, the second son, third, fourth, etc., as a cadet of the house, as the eldest daughter and heiress — each had their own separate insignia on the complete arms. In the feudal days a gentle born man could translate his opponent's or neighbor's shield and be able to place him properly in society — even when he couldn't read or write his own name. Nowadays this identification is a more or less forgotten art except with the College of Heralds or a few antiquarians.”

“And I take it that this representation of the Sternlitz arms is not a common one?”

“No. This is a copy of the arms as they would be borne, not by the Duke — were he alive — but by his eldest son and heir. A distinction few would know now.”

“His son and heir,” repeated Joris thoughtfully. “That is very, very interesting.”

“May I ask where you got this?” Quinn folded the paper in its original creases.

“Wasburg was visited today. Unfortunately — or perhaps fortunately — he was not at home. His visitor was a little bored and decided to investigate the room. There is a most ingenious false bottom in Mijnheer Wasburg’s suitcase — an excellent piece of work. In it were several documents which my friend did not have time to photograph — he was thoughtfully warned that Wasburg was about to receive another visitor. And there was also a small sheet of paper which he saw first and traced. The arms of the eldest son and heir — hmmm — ”

“The last Duke of Sternsberg was the last male of the Sternlitz line in direct descent,” Quinn returned. “He was never married, and he had no son or heir — ”

“When did he die and where?”

Quinn shrugged. “There is no answer to either of those questions. He was an explorer, very much interested in mapping the old silk road across the Gobi. There is a rumor that he was killed by nomads somewhere in Inner Mongolia. At any rate he never came back to civilization.”

“So — he vanished into thin air in Inner Mongolia — and when did this event occur?”

“Sometime in the 1890s — that was all unknown territory then. He was in his late forties — I couldn’t tell without checking dates again. But he was unmarried when he disappeared.”

“Around sixty years ago, eh? He could have had a son and a grandson by now. Wasburg is Eurasian — ”

But Quinn had already thought of that. A new factor in the game. If the Sternlitz family still existed — even with an unknown heir—then what about the ownership of the Bishop’s Menie? He should pass this along to van Nor-reys at the first opportunity.

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