“The young man is recently down from Oxford and came highly recommended.”
“Excellent.” DeVere nodded and turned back to Hawk. “You have the talent to be a very good botanical artist, lad. But you must continue to work diligently at your studies.” He reached into the cabinet and took out a book. “As inspiration, allow me to present you with a copy ofDelineations of Exotick Plants Cultivated in the Royal Garden at Kew—a special compendium of Bauer’s illustrations.”
Hawk’s eyes widened in wonder. He quickly wiped his hands on the front of his jacket before accepting the gift.
She winced, wondering how he had managed to acquire the sticky substance now streaked on the fabric.
“T-Thank you, sir.”
“You’ve been more than generous already.” Charlotte started to rummage in her reticule. “Please allow me to purchase the book—”
“Nonsense,” he replied, dismissing her protest. “You may repay me by encouraging your ward to pursue an interest in science.”
It may only have been a reflection from the glass, but his eyes seemed to take on a brighter glitter. “There are so many momentous discoveries waiting to be made, but we need minds of bold imagination and fearless curiosity.”
An eloquent speech.And yet it raised a pebbling of gooseflesh on her arms.
“You are too kind,” she murmured, deciding not to argue.
He responded with a graceful flourish. “It has been mypleasure. However, I must now excuse myself, as I have a meeting with the head superintendent in Kew Palace.”
After another round of pleasantries, DeVere turned away and followed the walkway to a staff outbuilding attached to the rear of the hothouse. Through the tall windows of the hothouse, Charlotte watched him cross the lawns and disappear behind a copse of trees.
The rattle of buckets interrupted her thoughts. Two gardeners were approaching with a barrow loaded with water and tools for tending the plantings.
“Come, we must allow the men to do their work,” she murmured.
“Wait!” protested Hawk, taking her hand and tugging her back toward the section of the hothouse that held the special collection. “You must have a look at one of the rare specimens. It’s wery, wery interesting.”
Charlotte noticed the lapse in his pronunciation, which only occurred when he was agitated. Feeling a stab of guilt over her earlier inattention, she dutifully followed along.
“See?” he said, pointing a finger at one of the terra-cotta pots lining the walkway.
“Yes, very nice,” murmured Charlotte, though she was a little surprised that it had captured his fancy. The sword-shaped leaves and center stalk of small white flowers were rather ordinary. Still, she made a show of admiring it until theclank-clankof the barrow came closer.
“Come along, sweeting,” she said, and this time he didn’t argue.
Once outside, the shadows suddenly grew deeper, and a look up at the sky showed ominous grey clouds scudding in from the west.
“Perhaps it would be best to return home,” murmured Charlotte. Seeing the troubled look on Hawk’s face, she ruffled his hair. “Don’t fret. We shall return again soon.”
The book clasped to chest, he remained strangely silent on the walk back to the waiting carriage. It wasn’t until the door clicked shut and the wheels began to bump over the road that he released a pent-up breath.
“Is something amiss—” she began.
“Curcuma longa,”said Hawk, his voice taut with excitement. “The plant I showed you is aCurcuma longa,of theZin . . . Zingiberaceaefamily. Mr. DeVere said it’s a wery rare plant, and that the Royal Botanic Gardens here at Kew have the only specimen in England.”
Charlotte shook her head in puzzlement.
“The snuff!” he exclaimed. “Raven told me that Mr. Tyler received word from the botanical expert, who identified the mysterious ingredient in the snuff you found at the murder scene.”
Ye gods . . .
“I thought it best to keep mum until we were alone. But”—Hawk flashed a triumphant smile—“but it’sCurcuma longa!”
CHAPTER 27
“The bloody dastard is proving slippery as an eel,” muttered Wrexford as he finished a quick check of Hollister’s rooms. “It looks like he’s wriggled through our fingers again.”
