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AT three and a half decades old, she was the youngest of the Ministers. Her husband was an Ambassador for the Queen, and before joining the Council she had quite often traveled with him – not only to provide company, but also to provide a balance of opinion when needed in contentious situations. She had been appointed by the Queen herself, when the prior Advisor had stepped down; he was currently living out his days in a comfortable little cottage near the river, after serving the Crown for...