German, "gunnery and explosives specialist."

The German-Danish border region (Schleswig and Holstein) was the subject of continual military fuss from TDW's era until modern times.

Women in military orders were mentioned on p176, but this seems to be an all-female order. Rheintal is a region of Switzerland.

The Count was something of a Goth. As he was in Saxony (eastern Germany), that would be counted as a horrible pun today. 1983 might or might not be too early for that to be an intended pun. ("Goths" as a subculture label was just emerging then, although "Gothic rock" as a musical genre appeared earlier.)

Repeating the first sentence of chapter 10 (p265). Note that it is still December of 1479; Edward has been dead for at most two months.

This color-coded mob is straight out of contemporary accounts.

Hastings neatly stages a story of a planned coup by Rivers, with Richard as the King's Protector and hero. It's a simple piece of theater, but the crowd accepts it uncritically.

Hastings explains the business with the weapons (p290). Note that everyone still accepts that Rivers threatened Edward's life.

That is, he had to threaten to keep Rivers to the thousand-man limit he asked for (p265). This occurred in our history as well.

An apoplexy is a stroke. Hastings and Richard are of course unaware of the scheme that Morton and Buckingham carried out (p257, p260).

In TDW, Hastings was obviously involved with both Edward and Jane Shore, although this is not common knowledge.

(The Queen is also named Elizabeth -- thus the brief confusion.)

Introduces Mancini.

Since Mancini's report describes a great deal of anti-Ricardian sentiment, his grasp (or lack) of English was a significant point in the historical arguments for and against Richard. Ford is gesturing at that point.

Queen Elizabeth's request was mentioned on p280.

Note that in our history, Argentine was English, not Italian.

Dimi's worry is too quickly discarded; see p312.

The claim that Genova (Genoa) is not Byzantine seems to contradict Lorenzo's assertion (p72) that only three Northern Italian states were free of Byzantium. At that point, Milan, Florence, and Urbino were all still independent, which leaves no room for Genova. This appears to be an inconsistency on the author's part.

TODO: Locate original document? (Not in Rot. Parl.)

Buckingham was married to Catherine Woodville, the Queen's sister. The marriage was arranged when he was a boy, and he resented it. Hastings, as he said earlier (p291-292), is involved with Edward's mistress Jane Shore -- although she was not a discarded mistress, as Buckingham assumes.

Recall that when Cynthia first saw Morton, she was reminded of a giant strawberry (p252).

See p331. Morton is making a private joke; and Buckingham's joke will turn out not to be.

Note that a few weeks have passed since the beginning of the chapter (p289). Also, Morton seems to have had a birthday since Halloween (p253).

In our history, in which Edward died in April, the maneuvering that led to Hastings's death ran into June. Strawberries, as described by Shakespeare (p294), would have been possible.

In TDW history, it is January, and Morton has certainly used wizardry in his garden. (See also p304, p335.)

Introduces Giles.

Edward refers back to his comment about hatred (p286, p287).

Argentine wants to open the jar himself, although he drops the subject immediately and nobody notices. See p304.

The "peculiar circumstance" that Dimi notices is not so painfully obvious to the rest of us. (Ford's writing style in a nutshell.) We will find it is that Argentine is a vampire. (On p304, although we don't confirm that Dimi realized this until p311.)

Richard is trying to get Edward's brother out of Elizabeth's hands; but also, as we will see, hoping that Dimi can track down her hiding place.

The emphasis on "secret sanctuary" is a sharp comment to Elizabeth on her defensive position. But it also gestures at a controversy in our history: whether Richard was secreting the young princes in a prison when he moved them to the Tower of London.

Today the Tower is remembered as a prison and a treasure-vault. Shakespeare used it as a dark herald of the princes' fate in Richard III (act 3, scene 1.) However, the Tower was also a royal residence until the 1600s. There would have been nothing specifically suspicious about Edward and his brother staying there. It was their removal from public view, and eventual disappearance, which led to so much speculation.

This oath was one of the concessions Richard made (p294) to get Woodville support for his Protectorship.

Although we have not seen it, Dimi appears to have resolved never to become a spy.

He certainly felt betrayed by spies as a child (p59), but he showed no such specific reluctance in Scotland (p215). His intention now may be a reaction to that mission, and its catastrophic failure (at the hands of yet another spy, p225-226). In any case, this scene will muddy that resolve.

A brachet is a type of hunting hound.

A cordwainer makes shoes (thus the smell of leather). However, this may also be a reference to the SF author Cordwainer Smith (Paul Linebarger), who worked in military intelligence all his life.

Clever because a Pantheon (unlike a Christian cathedral) has many halls, dedicated to the many gods of its culture. It is therefore easy to hide in, and hard to follow someone through.

Iambolc is the beginning of February (see p244). It is therefore the first week of January, 1480 AD. The coronation will be roughly January 25th.

Further consequences of the Doctrine of Julian (p33). Note that Richard is considering Byzantine law, even though England is not under Byzantine rule. Possibly England has legally adopted the Empire's religious principles. Or possibly the Pantheon is considered Byzantine territory in some sense, which would be politically provocative to violate. (Although, if that were the case, it is unlikely that English legal ceremonies would be set there.)

I cannot find any reference in our history to riots in Tarsus, in the era of Justinian. (It was of course the site of many events of Christian history, such as the birth of St. Paul.) Justinian is famously associated with the Nika Riot, but that occurred in Constantinople (see p379-380).

Recall that King Henry did not take such liberties with his honor (p177). Richard and Edward, and their mother, benefitted from this; so it was rather hypocritical of Edward to act differently.

See p297.

In this entire scene, Dimi carries himself with self-contempt -- ostensibly for failing to follow Mancini, but it likely goes deeper than that. He is attempting to hold his self-worth steady on his service to Richard, and it is not working. And note that Richard does not encourage Dimi in this; if anything, he very gently tries to dissuade him.

Baynard's Castle is the residence of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (p174). Hugh Wetherby is her butler.

Vrykolakas is a Greek term for a vampire-like walking corpse. "Vrykolaka" appears to be a typo; the correct plural is vrykolakes.

Gregory has been eating normal food until now. But there have been other signs that his metabolism is changing: his hunger has been rising faster than he expects (p268). This may be a normal progression for vampires, or it may be because he has feeding more often than was his habit (p268).

Gregory was not lying about going to Baynard's Castle; that was his intent (p300). But he allowed Dimi to believe that he was changing his living quarters, not just visiting to borrow a cup of blood. It is not clear, however, why the distinction matters to him.

No ciphers are particularly associated with the famous Roman Plinys. (Although Pliny the Elder described an invisible ink.) However, in 1859 of our history, a man named Pliny Earle Chase invented a "fractionating" cipher which Gregory's description could plausibly apply to.

See p205.

Margaret saw Gregory on p160, and seemed to be seeing a vampire. Mancini's secret message now reveals who that was: see p304.

As for the rest of Gregory's discoveries, see p312 and p335.

Argentine admits, indirectly, that he is a vampire. (And thus the one revealed in Mancini's letter, and thus the one whom Margaret was allied with -- p160.)

"Fulminate locks" are gun-primers of chemical explosive, rather than the flint or matchcord locks of more primitive guns. The bullets Gregory describes would be called "dum-dums" in our era; they cause very large wounds.

Ecco esso, professore! Italian: "Here it is, professor!"

This is identical to the jar Morton brought (p294), and it explains Argentine's behavior earlier; he wanted to open that jar himself (p296). Dimi didn't know the secret, and got the strawberries instead of the blood.

The trick jars are obviously created by Morton, as a magical way of smuggling blood in for Argentine. They also, as we will see, keep the blood warm, fresh, and liquid.

("I can't believe it" is presumably a typo for "I can believe it.")

Argentine has infected Edward with vampirism.

Was this part of the original scheme that Buckingham and Morton collaborated on? Morton is certainly involved now. However, Hastings said earlier (p293) that he chose Argentine as Edward's physician. Nothing in the story has made Hastings appear untrustworthy. However again, it is possible that his choice was influenced by magic.

It is also possible that this is all an improvisation -- that Morton met Argentine and saw an even better way to control Edward than he had originally planned.

A very brief palming of the narrative: the reader will at first assume that it is the Duke of Gloucester who has entered, not Buckingham. We now realize that Gregory has tipped his hand to the wrong player.

(The last time Ford did this, it was also with Buckingham's name -- p273.)

And indeed Hastings is executed, moments later. The crime he is accused of, as we will see, is King Edward's assassination.

As on p281, Dimi is having trouble thinking, Richard is furious, and Buckingham is maneuvering to have people executed. It seems inescapable now that Buckingham is responsible. (Although he will turn out not to be a wizard himself; see p327.)

Richard realizes that someone is using magic, but Morton denies responsibility -- probably honestly. Morton was not present at Northampton (p281).

(Morton does not deny that there is magic. He seems detached from the entire situation; he must be aware of what is going on, but he is neither aiding nor interfering.)

This story certainly comes from Buckingham. Note that although Buckingham appeared carrying sheets of paper (p306), they are not necessarily Gregory's translation of Mancini's report. Buckingham seized that, and has every reason to manipulate what Richard learns.

As we know from p260, it was Morton who killed Edward, but with Buckingham's aid, not Hastings's. Buckingham may be trying to dispose of an ally who is no longer of use. Or, possibly, the accusation may have no force against Morton. It certainly doesn't appear to worry him.

Hastings was the Lieutenant of Calais under Edward. Richard is presumably musing about his earlier suspicions, about what lay behind Rivers's (supposed) coup attempt (see p291). Now, he thinks, he has the real traitor -- Hastings -- in hand, and the motive is simply jealousy.

(Stanley was wounded by Dimi during the confusion, p307.)

Morton goes out of his way to magically clean away the blood, and apparently heal Stanley's arm. (The latter is not stated, but seems to be the case.) Either collecting blood is valuable for his own purposes, or for the jars he makes (p304).

It is also possible that the blood powers his healing spell; that could be implied by the use of the "same hand." (We know, from p253, that Morton's healing has a price in suffering.)

Again, Buckingham is using his own version of Gregory's translation (see p307); there is no reason to believe anything he says. However, he is also using a version of the truth; he knows that Cynthia and Hywel became involved in Wales (p260).

Richard orders the execution of Rivers at Pontefract (and of Vaughan, Grey, and Haute; see p286).

Buckingham, of course, is doing very well out of the turmoil.

Dimi is thanking Richard on Gregory's behalf; Gregory said he was going to Cecily's house for the quiet (p302). Richard is unaware of this, because Gregory was captured before he left or talked to anyone except Buckingham. Both Dimi and Richard, unfortunately, miss the discrepancy.

Dimi's distaste for spying was described on p297.

Clearly Buckingham's edited version of the letter did not mention that Mancini was spying for Byzantium.

Dimi now comes to the same conclusion as Gregory did (p304); Margaret saw Hywel and Gregory as Morton and Argentine, back on p160.

(Morton matches Margaret's description of a political survivor; see p295. And Argentine is a vampire, matching Gregory.)

Buckingham has already offered up Morton as a traitor (p307), but he obviously does not want Argentine implicated. (Note that Buckingham's statement about Argentine did not occur in our view.)

Gregory's gun (p304).

Long ago, in Gaul, Dimi owed his life to a misfiring gun; see p58.

The name is a small anachronism; it was called the "Garden Tower" at this point in history. The name "Bloody Tower" may have arisen as a reference to the deaths of the Princes in the Tower, which have not (quite) yet occurred in the narrative. Alternatively, the term may date from the suicide of Henry Percy in 1585.

(Possibly the term exists in TDW history as a reference to vampires. Dimi mused (p299) that the Tower must have some system for feeding vampires kept at hand, or imprisoned, by the Crown.)

Note that George was not walled in alive; his cell was sealed after his execution (p195).

• History of the Tower, via englishmonarchs.co.uk
• Authorised Guide to the Tower of London, W. J. Loftie, 1904 (via gutenberg.org)

This is the "peculiar circumstance" that Dimi noticed on p296. But his early distrust of vampires (p113) has been worn down -- too far, it turns out.

We finally get the full truth about Mancini's letter. Note that Hastings had a secret after all; and it was the one which may have been true in our history as well (see p306-307). But he was not involved with Byzantium. (He mistrusted Mancini in his public role as Elizabeth's messenger, not as the Byzantine spy.)

But then who was the one Gregory noted (p303) was not motivated by loyalty? It can't have been Buckingham, because he wasn't in the letter (p312). Argentine and Morton are the remaining major players; but we know little about their loyalties as yet.

(Morton will prove to be the best answer to that; see p335.)

We learned earlier (p293) that Genova (Genoa) is not under Byzantine domination, but of course they would have agents there.

Note that Mancini was writing openly to Cato; it was only the contents of the letters that was hidden. So Cato's tradecraft was imperfect. He should have had the letters go through a third party, so that his own secrecy was not predicated on Mancini's.

It is also curious that he is called "Angelo"; this is a Christian-derived name which should not be common in TDW history. The other Angelo of our history who shows up in TDW is Angelo Poliziano, as "Arturo" (see p65).

(Although, really, most of the names familiar from English history -- John, James, Anne, and so on -- were taken from the Christian bible. In TDW history, they should exist only as obscure Jewish forms. I take their presence as a concession to comprehensibility.)

German: "I thought I heard the keys."

Gregory has been carrying the pins around since p266. On p269 they allowed him to feed on Elayne. Now, by freeing Dimi, the pins will allow Gregory to restrain himself from feeding.