The Windsor Knot

A reception at Windsor Castle was held in the Russian style. The delightful young pianist Brodsky performed Rachmaninoff, and the ballerinas danced variations from “Swan Lake.” Guests—including many people connected with Russia, from a couple of oligarchs to an Oscar-winning actress with Russian roots—enjoyed exquisite dishes and unhurried conversation. It would have been an ideal reception if, in the morning, Brodsky hadn’t been found hanged from the belt of his own dressing gown. Everything points to suicide, but something about the case is clearly wrong. And the investigation is taken up by the only person who knows Windsor Castle like the back of his hand—the only one who can open any doors without knocking and ask any questions of people—Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.