[It takes Fenimore a moment to respond. She's running out of ideas why Shirley might think like this without it being true, and it's hurting her brain to try to see how it could be true.]

...But if that were true, why did they never use it before? They were at war with...Crusand, right? They could have taken Vaclav out of the picture and at least done some good. [Because she's still assuming that this is the work of the Gadorian knights.]