Politics, as practiced in Uttermost Partann, is something of an extreme sport. It is possible for practitioners to die in their own beds, but normally this is the result of an acute digestive upset. Death by misadventure is aspirational, dying of old age almost unknown.

Still there are rules, or at least firm guidelines. The killing of family members by poison, or at the blade of an expensively hired assassin is considered acceptable. Having them torn apart by wild horses is a breach of good manners.

Disposing of female relatives is an area where a degree of awkwardness can creep in. There are any number of religious institutions which have grown up purely to provide housing for ladies of uncertain political temperament. They can be housed in secure accommodation in conditions that vary from genteel good taste to unspeakable squalor. If the lady in question has managed to transgress against…