Who Wants to Marry a Duke - Sabrina Jeffries Page 0,49
of him, given the sort of chemicals one would find in a working laboratory.”
“We’re not dealing with chemists here, sweeting,” Thorn said, not even realizing he’d used the endearment in front of his brother. “I mean, it’s unlikely the boy knew that much about what he was doing.”
Thorn headed out the front door and onto the steps to gaze toward the laboratory with its still burning fire. She followed him.
“If we do nothing, will it burn itself out?” he asked her.
“I think so.”
He shot her a hard look. “You don’t know for sure?”
“How can I? I’ve never seen a laboratory explode before.”
“Right,” he said hastily. “Of course not. But you do believe our best course of action is to leave it alone.”
“Yes, definitely. There’s little wind tonight, thank heaven, so there’s not much likelihood of having sparks blown onto the roofs of other buildings. The fire shouldn’t take too long to die out, and Grey doesn’t need his people choking to death on toxic fumes in an attempt to make it happen sooner.”
“I certainly don’t,” Grey said as he came up behind them. “But there are two things that can be done at least.”
Turning to his servants, he ordered several to search the grounds for the lad who might have destroyed the laboratory and a few others to take turns keeping watch that the fire didn’t ignite anything beyond the dairy.
Then he told everyone else to go to bed.
Grey turned to her as the servants drifted off to do their several duties. “That includes you, Olivia. I know you must have stayed up late in the laboratory because you were still out there when Beatrice and I retired. But you need your sleep like everyone else.”
“Listen to him,” Thorn said.
“How can I sleep when we’ve lost everything we worked for?” she said. “The samples are gone, and I don’t think we can use what was left of the remains.”
“We still have that set of samples in the icehouse,” Grey said soothingly.
Hope sprouted inside her. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Damn, I forgot to tell you,” Thorn said. “The coroner split everything in half in case we needed fresh samples for a trial. You only received one half. I meant to say something when I brought the samples this afternoon, but . . .”
“I wouldn’t let you in,” she said.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mention it tonight.”
She beamed. “I don’t care. That’s marvelous news! I can still do the experiments! Of course, we may have to set a man to keep watch over the laboratory at night, and we’ll have to send for fresh chemicals and equipment.” Her mind jumped ahead to what needed to be done. “I should make a list right now while I’m thinking of it. Ooh, and my journals and notebooks are upstairs—thank heavens they’re safe—so I can refer to them if—”
“We’ll discuss all that in the morning.” Thorn shot Grey a somber look. “For now, you should rest, Olivia.”
She thrust out her chin, trying not to be flattered by his concern for her. “Only after I make my shopping lists.”
“Before,” Thorn said sternly. “Or I swear I’ll lock up your journals and notebooks until tomorrow.”
He would do it, too. The two of them were up to something. She could tell.
“Oh, very well, if you insist,” she muttered. “But only if you promise to fetch me if the fire worsens.”
“I swear it,” Thorn said. “Now off with you.”
She sighed. But there was really nothing else she could do until the fire was out. Besides, as Grey had guessed, she was exhausted, not only from the long day but from the wild swings her emotions had taken. Much as she truly wanted to start picking items for the new laboratory, her exhaustion had begun to take over.
So she would put off everything until tomorrow morning.
Chapter Nine
Thorn stood at a distance, surveying the remains of the fire that had raged nearly until dawn. Here and there a pile of something either smoldered or flared up briefly, and there was the occasional wisp of smoke. But the flames seemed mostly banished, although he couldn’t be sure of anything until he spoke to Olivia.
As if he’d conjured her up, he suddenly felt her at his side. Her scent, faint as it was, alerted him to her presence. Knowing how much the laboratory had meant to her, he could only imagine how the sight of its destruction must be affecting her.
“You’re up early,” she said with a catch in her voice.