"Please don't worry yourself, Sir Kenneth," Her Majesty said. "Your Queen is doing everything she can." "I know that, Your Majesty," Malone said. "I'm sure of it." Privately, he wondered just how much even she could do. Then he realized--for perhaps the ten-thousandth time--that there was no such thing as wondering privately any more. "That's quite right, Sir Kenneth," the Queen said sweetly. "And it's about time you got used to it." "What's going on?" Boyd said. "More reading minds back there?" "That's right, Sir Thomas," the Queen said. "I've about gotten used to it," Boyd said almost cheerfully. "Pretty soon they'll come and take me away, but I don't mind at all." He whipped the car around a bend in the road savagely. "Pretty soon they'll put me with the other sane people and let the bats inherit the world. But I don't mind at all." "Sir Thomas!" Her Majesty said in shocked tones. "Please," Boyd said with a deceptive calmness. "Just Mr. Boyd. Not even Lieutenant Boyd, or Sergeant Boyd. Just Mr. Boyd. Or, if you prefer, Tom." "Sir Thomas," Her Majesty said, "I really can't understand this sudden--" "Then don't understand it," Boyd said. "All I know is everybody's nuts, and I'm sick and tired of it." A pall of silence fell over the company. "Look, Tom," Malone began at last. "Don't you try smoothing me down," Boyd snapped. Malone's eyebrows rose. "O.K.," he said. "I won't smooth you down. I'll just tell you to shut up, to keep driving--and to show some respect to Her Majesty." "I--" Boyd stopped. There was a second of silence. "_That's_ better," Her Majesty said with satisfaction. Lady Barbara stretched in the back seat, next to Her Majesty. "This is certainly a long drive," she said. "Have we got much farther to go?" "Not too far," Malone said. "We ought to be there soon." "I ... I'm sorry for the way I acted," Barbara said. "What do you mean, the way you acted?" "Crying like that," Barbara said with some hesitation. "Making an--absolute idiot of myself. When that other car--tried to get us." "Don't worry about it," Malone said. "It was nothing." "I just--made trouble for you," Barbara said. Her Majesty touched the girl on the shoulder. "He's not thinking about the trouble you cause him," she said quietly. "Of course I'm not," Malone told her. "But I--" "My dear girl," Her Majesty said, "I believe that Sir Kenneth is, at least partly, in love with you." Malone blinked. It was perfectly true--even if he hadn't quite known it himself until now. Telepaths, he was discovering, were occasionally handy things to have around. "In ... love--" Barbara said. "And you, my dear--" Her Majesty began. "Please, Your Majesty," Lady Barbara said. "No more. Not just now." The Queen smiled, almost to herself. "Certainly, dear," she said. * * * * *