12. On His Majesty’s Service - The Assassination of Sir John Lisle

As the church bells ring out over the Swiss city of Lausanne, the doors of the grand protestant church creak open allowing the well-to-do members of the congregation to step out into the street. Three cloaked figures close in on the crowd spilling from the church – making a direct line for a portly Englishman and his three sturdy bodyguards. Two of the figures draw swords and charge at the guards whilst the third, in one swift movement, points a loaded pistol at the heart of their target and shouts “For the King!” before being shrouded in the cloud of gunpowder smoke. The bullet did its work. As the smoke clears, the Englishman is lying on the cobbles in a pool of crimson and the assassins are nowhere to be seen.