evil french spyhattery?

I feel very hurt on behalf of Stephen because he did not allow himself any laudanum at all, poor thing, and now all these false accusations when he would be in a better shape if he had taken it... *sigh*

I think the last idea is a good one - I was about to suggest it myself. Great minds, etc. :p The clerk and French spy can thus be two different people.

All right. I'll work out how to handle it and post it after dinner.

As for the laudanum thing, it was something Marta said about her-father-the-Apothecary...