Hollister hesitated. “Sir, the lecture—”
“The lecture won’t begin for another half hour.” The earl perched a hip on one of the chair’s padded arms. “You won’t miss a word. Not that it would be a great loss to your understanding of hydrogen’s properties.”
A weak smile twitched in response as the young man reluctantly moved to the facing chair and took a seat. “I take it you don’t hold von Krementz in high regard, milord?”
“I have a reputation for being an overly harsh judge of my scientific peers,” replied the earl. “But, then, I imagine you know that.”
Hollister’s jaw tightened. His spine was rigid, his hands clasped together awkwardly in his lap.
“Relax, Sir Kelvin. I’m not going to quiz you on your studies. I merely wish to chat about what sort of interests Lord Chittenden shared with you and your fellow members of the Eos Society.”
“Like all of us, Chittenden was interested in a wide range ofscientific subjects.” A hesitation. “We all felt there was so much to explore before deciding to focus on any one area.”
“Did your explorations perchance include experiments with a voltaic pile?”
The young man wet his lips. “Yes, we did some rudimentary work on generating electricity. After all, it’s considered a revolutionary discovery whose potential has yet to be unlocked. However, the majority of our members decided to move on and sample other areas of study.” An audible inhale. “As I said, we are still naught but dilettantes.”
A very carefully worded answer, which did not escape the earl’s notice.
“But not all of you decided to abandon the experiments with the voltaic pile,” pressed Wrexford. “Chittenden found it fascinating—and word is, so did you and Benjamin Westmorly.”
“I don’t know who told you that, but our interest appears to have been much exaggerated, sir,” replied the young man after chuffing an unconvincing laugh. “We were interested, but I would hardly call usfascinated.We performed a few extra tests on our own, purely out of curiosity.”
Wrexford wondered why the fellow was taking such pains to prevaricate. He decided to cut to the chase. “And did that curiosity extend to applying the current to your own bodies?”
“Good God, what an odd question!”
“One that you didn’t answer,” observed the earl after several long moments of silence had slid by.
Wool whispered against leather as the young man shifted uncomfortably. “It makes no sense that Chittenden would do such a thing.”
“Perhaps you should take up the study of law, not science, Sir Kelvin,” he said dryly. “You excel at tying your tongue in knots without really saying anything.”
The blood rushed back to Hollister’s face, turning his cheekbones a telltale scarlet. “I’m not sure what you want me to tell you!”
“The truth would be helpful.”
The young man’s gaze dropped to the patterned carpet beneath his evening shoes. “To my knowledge, neither Chittenden nor Westmorly used a voltaic pile for the purposes you stated. And I certainly haven’t.” He shifted his feet. “M-Might I inquire why you’re asking such strange questions?”
“Because I find myself curious about rumors swirling around his life,” answered Wrexford. “And even more curious about why he’s now dead.”
“His brother—” rasped Hollister.
“Has been arrested, yes,” cut in the earl. “I simply wish to feel certain that justice is being served.” A pause. “I’m sure we all do.”
“Yes, of course,” replied Hollister. “I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t think of anything to add.”
“Thank you, Sir Kelvin.” Wrexford slowly got to his feet. “I appreciate your time.”
Hollister bolted up from his chair. “Then if you’ll excuse me, I’m supposed to meet Mr. DeVere and several friends by the lecture hall entrance so we can all sit together.”
“But of course.” Smiling, he reached out and touched the other man’s sleeve. “Come, let us shake hands. I shouldn’t like for us to leave on less than a cordial note.”
“Of course, sir.”
Wrexford grasped the outstretched palm. A quick tug pulled Hollister close and at the same time he jabbed the heel of his other hand hard against the side of the young man’s rib cage.
The breath came out of him in a gasp of pain.
