“Have I ever let you down, amico?” he asked softly.
“No,” replied Lynsley. “Which is the reason I am going against my better judgment now.” He rose and took up the Sicilian stiletto that served as his letter opener. “I won’t say it again, but I need you to stay sharp. Your last job was successful, but you were a little sloppy. A little reckless.”
Marco could think of no clever comment.
“I’ll leave you to read over the papers.” Flipping the razored blade into the air, Lynsley caught it by the jeweled hilt and placed it back on his blotter. “I will return in an hour. If you’re still of a mind to take the assignment, we’ll go over the other details.”
“How nice to have us all together, even if it’s only for a very short while.” The scholarly part of their meeting completed, Charlotte began to pour tea. “I think we can be forgiven for rushing through the scientific agenda in order to indulge in a comfortable coze.”
“I do feel a little guilty about not going over Ratherson’s essay on mercury fulminite more carefully,” said Ciara, the chemistry expert of the group. “I promise to draft a rebuttal as soon as Lucas and I return from our visit to Sir Henry’s estate.”
“You have had other responsibilities, my dear,” murmured Charlotte. “As has Ariel.”
Kate glanced at the two—no, make that three—newly wed members of their group. “Thank God we have heard the last chime of wedding bells. My ears were beginning to ring.”
Alessandra broke off a bit of shortbread. “Don’t be so smug. You are still single.”
“And plan to stay that way,” she replied forcefully.
“Ha, that’s what I said.” Ariel, who at age sixty-five was two years younger than her sister Charlotte, chuckled.
“Better late than never,” quipped Ciara. Ariel had recently married for the first time and was the subject of some good-natured teasing from her friends.
“I admit that you look no worse for the experience,” said Kate dryly. “But trust me, marriage is not in my future plans.”
“As a scientist, you ought to know that sometimes things simply happen in nature,” pointed out Alessandra. She winked at the others. “You know, like spontaneous combustion.”
“Ha, ha, ha,” said Kate, echoing the merry laughter with considerably less mirth. She made a face. “You are welcome to your little jokes. But in all seriousness, I don’t think marriage would suit me at all.”
The truth was, after all her nomadic travels, she couldn’t picture herself settling down to a normal English life with a husband and a household. However, she did not wish to throw a splash of cold water in the face of her friends by sounding sardonic, so she left it at that. They were clearly happy with their choice in life.
As she was with hers.
As the laughter died away, Ariel cleared her throat. “Are you sure you don’t want to join us in the country?” She and her husband, Sir Henry Phelps, had invited Alessandra and Black Jack Pierson to stop for a visit before heading on for a wedding trip to Italy. It promised to be a lively gathering, for Ciara and Lucas would also be present, along with her young son and Alessandra’s daughter, who were the best of friends.
Yet somehow Kate was a little relieved at having an excuse to demur. Given her current unsettled mood, the prospect of being surrounded by familial bliss wasn’t overly appealing at the moment. “I’m sorry, but I promised Cluyne that I would attend his house party. We haven’t been getting on terribly well of late, so I ought not rock the boat by changing my mind.” She looked at Ariel’s sister. “But really, Charlotte, you need not feel compelled to join me. I wouldn’t blame you in the least for withdrawing.”
Charlotte waved off the suggestion. “I think that this first wave of marital merriment is best left to newlyweds,” she said with her usual blunt frankness. “Besides, I know things are not overly comfortable between you and your grandfather, so I wouldn’t want to leave you alone to face a houseful of strangers.”
“I am perfectly capable of fending for myself,” replied Kate.
“That goes without saying. However, my offer isn’t entirely altruistic. I am very curious to see the duke’s famous conservatory, and look forward to spending some time examining its treasures.”
“I confess, it’s one of the reasons I said yes to Cluyne,” admitted Kate. “I haven’t spent as much time there as I would like.”
“You still call him ‘Cluyne,’ not ‘Grandfather’?” asked