“Eton?” repeated Charlotte. “You mean the elite school for aristocratic boys?”
“Yes,” answered Cordelia.
Charlotte pondered the revelation, trying to make some sense of it. “You mentioned that Jasper Milton was tutored at home before attending Cambridge, so he wasn’t a student at Eton.”
Which begs the question . . .
“So what’s the connection?”
“None that I can see,” admitted Cordelia. “But you and Wrex have taught me not to overlook any tiny detail, no matter how irrelevant it might seem. Because sometimes looking at it from a different perspective shows that in fact it’s the key to solving the whole mystery.”
Charlotte shook her head in puzzlement. “I can’t see—”
A small cough interrupted her. She turned to see Peregrine standing in the shadows. “I did not mean to eavesdrop, m’lady. Raven and Hawk sent me down to see if the ginger biscuits were ready, while they helped Mr. Lynsley roll up the maps we used for our geography lesson.”
“Fly back in a quarter hour, Falcon,” called McClellan as she removed a baking pan from the oven. “The first batch is promised elsewhere.”
Peregrine nodded but made no move to leave.
“Is something troubling you, sweeting?” coaxed Charlotte.
“Umm . . . well, since I heard you mention Eton . . . and since Mrs. Sheffield just pointed out that we shouldn’t overlook any detail, however unimportant it may appear . . .”
He cleared his throat with another cough. “I think I ought to tell you about something that struck me as very havey-cavey at the school just before I was expelled.”
* * *
Wrexford paused at the main entrance of St. Paul’s Cathedral to look up at the majestic steepled bell towers that framed the columned portico and upper colonnade. Though he had visited Sir Christopher Wren’s architectural masterpiece countless times—the nation held many ceremonies for both its triumphs and tragedies here—he never ceased to be awed by the imposing grandeur of the London landmark.
It was not only a work of art but an engineering marvel.
Which was why he was here. One of the porters at the Royal Institution had informed him that Ezra Wheeler was among the half dozen conference attendees invited for a special tour of the magnificent dome, the largest in the world.
Dropping his gaze from the Corinthian columns, Wrexford hurried up the stone steps and passed into the nave, then made his way to the stairwell leading up to the dome—a journey of 528 steps, as he had learned from his father on his first visit to the cathedral.
On reaching the Whispering Gallery, the first of the three viewing areas, he spotted one of the Royal Institution officials who had arranged the tour.
“Hopkins, can you kindly tell me where I might find Ezra Wheeler?” he inquired.
“I believe he’s gone all the way up to the Golden Gallery, milord.”
“Many thanks.”
“Enjoy the view, sir!” called Hopkins as Wrexford hurried away. The cathedral was built on Ludgate Hill, the highest point of London, and the outer walkway at the very top of the dome offered a spectacular panorama of the sprawling city and the River Thames.
A gust of wind ruffled his coat as Wrexford ducked through the opening leading to the narrow ironwork ring that ran around the base of the spire. The walkway was deserted save for a single figure who was standing with his back half-turned as he gazed up at thetempietto—a crowning design made of four columned porticos facing the cardinal points of the compass.
“Mr. Wheeler?”
The man turned. “Yes?”
“It seems that designing bridges is a more perilous profession than one might imagine,” commented Wrexford, on seeing Wheeler’s right arm was in a sling and his hand was heavily bandaged.
“Any designer worth his salt often wields a hammer and chisel during the construction process, sir. It’s imperative to understand the materials used, and how they react to stress.”
“As someone who is also involved in scientific pursuits, I couldn’t agree more about empirical research,” responded the earl. “By the by, I’m Wrexford.”
“Ah. Your reputation proceeds you, milord,” replied Wheeler with a nod of acknowledgment. “Your work on improving the tensile strength of iron has allowed engineers to formulate better designs for bridges.”
