“Sorry,” murmured Raven, quickly finishing his adjustments to the microscope as the earl looked up. “I needed to set up a stronger lens, but we haven’t quite perfected the cradle.”
“No need to apologize, lad,” replied the earl gruffly.
“I should say not,” called Tyler, who emerged a moment later from one of the supply alcoves. “Remember, it was MasterRaven’s ingenious idea to add an auxiliary lens for greater magnification.” He carefully inserted a set of thin glass slides into the microscope.
Wrexford rose and went to have a closer look. “What are you examining?”
“The sample of snuff you had me take to the Royal Society,” answered Tyler, a note of excitement shading his voice. “Mr. Sachem has identified all the elements of the mixture. The bitter almonds and cloves are fairly common additions to the tobacco. But the last ingredient isn’t—it’sCurcuma longa,of theZingiberaceaefamily.”
The earl frowned. “Is that of any help?”
“Perhaps.” Tyler was already looking through the eyepiece. “I wanted to have another look at it myself before going and making inquiries among my tobacconist friends. They may have heard of who might be using it.”
The valet gave a grunt. “With the new lens I can see it’s quite a distinctive orange color.”
“Curcuma longa,”said Raven slowly. “Of theZing . . . Zin-geribera—”
“Zingiberaceaefamily,” repeated Tyler. “All living organisms have a scientific name based on a system devised by a fellow named Carolus Linnaeus, lad. That’s because there are many different local names for flora and fauna, so the system allows scholars from around the world to speak a common language.”
“Ye mean every weed and flower has a fancy name?”
“Aye,” replied the valet. “As do animals, reptiles, fish, and insects. It’s all based on common traits and . . . well, it’s a bit complicated to explain, but I’m happy to do so if you’re interested.”
Raven made a face. “Sounds like a mouthful of gibberish to me. But Hawk would likely find it fascinating.”
“I imagine he would,” said the earl, making a mental note tobuy an illustrated book of common English plants with their Latin names for the boy.
“Come, help me put away the snuff,” said Tyler, after a last look through the microscope, “and let us ready the things we’ll need for polishing the new lenses when they arrive . . .”
Preoccupied with his own scientific inquiries, Wrexford brought his attention back to the book on electricity. There were still several hours to go before he could set out in search of his quarry.
And after reading the first few pages, Wrexford felt Hollister had better have answers for a great many questions.
CHAPTER 25
“This way, milady.” The butler escorted Charlotte past a closed set of double doors—from the muted sound of masculine voices echoing against the oak, she guessed it was the drawing room—and down a corridor leading to the back of the house. Shadows flickered over the dark wainscoting. Only one of the wall sconces was lit, but the weak light was enough to see the patterned runner underfoot had seen better days.
Up ahead was a half-open door. As they approached, she heard the murmur of voices and then a light laugh.
Damnation.It appeared that Cordelia was not alone. Somehow, she would have to improvise . . .
“Lady Charlotte—what a pleasant surprise.” Cordelia rose from the sofa. “I was just telling Mr. Sheffield how much I enjoyed making your acquaintance.”
Talk about surprises.
Sheffield rose as well. A deck of playing cards and a pile of facedown discards were set on the low table in front of them, along with a notebook and pencil. “Lady Charlotte,” he said, his eyes not quite meeting hers.
“Apparently, the two of you know each other,” continued Cordelia, after indicating that Charlotte should take a seat in the facing armchair.
“Yes,” she replied. Her gaze lingered on the arrangement of cards.
An amused chuckle slipped from Cordelia’s lips. “Are you interested in games of chance, Lady Charlotte? Mr. Sheffield has asked me to explain the mathematics of probability to him and how to calculate the odds of risk and reward. We’re making headway . . .” She paused as they resumed their seats. “You are welcome to join in the lesson, if you wish.”
“Many things in life require that we gamble on the outcome.” Charlotte looked up. “Those choices are challenging enough. So, no, I don’t find card games particularly alluring.”
Cordelia eyed her thoughtfully. “A very interesting answer.”
“And a wise one.” Sheffield shifted uncomfortably. “I ought to give up playing, as I clearly have no head for understanding the nuances of how to make good decisions.”
