are you talking about?” Hannah demanded.
“I do not have all the answers yet, but I can tell you that the scent of the incense that the killer used last night to drug Beatrice was very familiar. I believe it may have come from the laboratory of a former associate of mine.”
Beatrice frowned. “What do you mean?”
But Hannah was staring at Joshua, appalled. “Josh, are you certain?”
“I believe that the formula for the incense was originally concocted by Clement Lancing, yes,” Joshua said. “It bears all of his hallmarks. What I do not yet know is who employed it tonight. It’s possible Lancing’s notebooks have fallen into someone else’s hands—someone who has the scientific skill that would be required to re-create his formulas. But there is another possibility.”
Hannah clasped her hands together very tightly. “Do you really believe that Lancing might be alive, after all?”
“I must assume that is the case until I can prove otherwise,” Joshua said.
Beatrice frowned. “Will someone kindly tell me what you are talking about?”
Hannah sighed and rose to her feet. “I will leave it to Josh to explain. It is his story, after all. I shall go upstairs to supervise the packing. I’ll have Sally pack your things as well, Beatrice.”
“Thank you,” Beatrice said.
Joshua made his way across the room to open the door for Hannah. She paused on the threshold, clearly troubled.
“I do not like this, Josh,” she said.
“Neither do I, but I must discover the truth. I have no other choice now.”
“No,” Hannah said. “I suppose not.”
She went out into the hall. Joshua closed the door very gently behind her.
Beatrice looked at him. “Well, sir?”
Joshua did not answer immediately. Instead he went to stand at the window. He stood quietly for a moment looking out into the gardens.
After a time he began to talk.
“Clement Lancing was a brilliant chemist who had a passion for archaeology, specifically Egyptian antiquities. He was convinced that, in their quest to discover a perfect way of preserving the bodies of the dead, the ancient Egyptians made a number of scientific discoveries that have been lost over the centuries. His goal was to find the lost secrets.”
“How did you come to know Lancing?”
“We were friends at one time,” Joshua said. His hand tightened around the steel hilt of the cane. “We met at Oxford and discovered that we had a great deal in common. We were both recruited as spies for the Crown by Victor Hazelton.”
“The mysterious Mr. Smith.”
“Yes. Clement Lancing and I conducted a number of investigations together.” Joshua paused. “We were very good at what we did.”
“I see,” Beatrice said.
“Lancing’s scientific interests, his knowledge of languages and his passion for Egyptian antiquities made him extremely valuable to Hazelton. As an archaeologist, Lancing possessed an ideal cover for traveling abroad. He made connections in several capitals with all sorts of people, from street vendors to high-ranking officials. He was able to provide Hazelton with a great deal of information. He also gave me intelligence that I needed to pursue conspirators and traitors in London.”
“And all of this was coordinated through Victor Hazelton?”
“Victor trained us and gave us our assignments,” Joshua said.
“When did Clement Lancing become a dangerous criminal?”
Joshua concentrated on the gardens outside the window. “There was a woman.”
“Of course,” Beatrice said. “I should have guessed.”
“Her name was Emma. She was Victor Hazelton’s daughter. She was very beautiful and quite brilliant.”
“And you and Lancing both desired her.”
Joshua’s mouth twisted in a faint smile. “As I said, she was beautiful and brilliant. And she was Victor Hazelton’s daughter.”
“Right. And Hazelton was your mentor and your employer. I suppose that says it all.”
“Victor was more than a mentor and an employer,” Joshua said quietly. “He was the man who saved me from myself. I will always be grateful to him. But in the end, I failed him.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Never mind. It doesn’t matter now.” Joshua gripped the windowsill. “In the end, Emma chose Lancing. And while I was disappointed, I understood.”
Beatrice raised her brows. “Indeed?”
“There was a passion between those two that simply did not—could not—exist between Emma and me.” Joshua paused. “I am not a man of strong passions.”
Beatrice gave a ladylike sniff. At least she hoped it was a ladylike sniff and not an unladylike snort of laughter.
Joshua turned his head to look at her over his shoulder.
“You find that amusing?” he asked.
“No, merely misguided.”
“What the devil would you know about my temperament?”
“Evidently a good deal more than you do, sir, but that is neither here nor there at