She made a wry face. “I take it there were no knives.”
“No knives.” His expression, however, looked a bit odd.
“What?” she pressed.
He shook his head. “It’s nothing, really. Henning sometimes has very strange notions.”
Before Arianna could ask him to elaborate, the cook approached with the coffee and a platter of food. “Buen apetito.”
Saybrook poured two cups and passed one to her. “What about your evening? Did you learn anything of note?”
“Other than the fact that Concord possesses a private collection of erotic art that would put a whore to blush?” Arianna paused for a sip of the steaming brew.
If the earl had any reaction, he hid it well.
“My discoveries may not have been as dramatic as yours, but I think you will find a few things very interesting.” She went on to recount the details of her night, from Ashmun’s probing, to Lady Spencer’s veiled innuendos, building up to Concord’s quarrel with the stranger. “And then, as I was climbing into my carriage,” she went on, “I happened to see Ashmun hiding in the bushes. He must have followed me, but it’s a mystery as to why.”
Saybrook had listened without interruption. She waited for him to speak now, but instead he picked up a pastry and took a taste.
Arianna bit back a caustic comment. The earl had some nerve to criticize her eating habits.
“These are superb,” he murmured, nudging the platter her way. “I was under the impression that you needed sustenance in order to think properly.”
The scent of almonds tickled her nose. “And I was under the impression that you found my appetite offensive.”
“Compromise is the essence of a good battle plan.” He helped himself to a roll. “One would be a fool not to learn from one’s allies.”
She realized she was famished. “I’ve never thought you a fool, Lord Saybrook.” Arianna broke off a buttery wedge and popped it into her mouth. “An ass, but never a fool.”
He smiled and refilled her cup. “Now, tell me again about the argument.”
“As I said, I could only hear bits and snatches. The stranger was agitated, and confronted Concord with Crandall’s death and my disappearance. He seemed to feel that some deal had been broken.”
Saybrook stared meditatively into his coffee. “Try to remember exactly what was said.”
She thought for a moment. “The stranger assumed Concord was responsible for the Major’s demise and asked if the chef had been smuggled out of the country. Concord didn’t correct him, but merely said not to worry about the chef because it didn’t affect their business arrangement.”
The earl nodded for her to go on.
“But that only made the other man more angry—or rather, frightened. Grentham worried him, and he said he had a good mind to . . .” Arianna let her words trail off, just as the stranger had. “At that point they moved away to the hearth. I could only make out a word here and there.”
“Which were?” he asked, still not looking up.
Arianna wished that she could answer with something more helpful. “Blunt . . . sword blade . . . Overend . . . Gurney,” she said carefully. Seeing his brow furrow for an instant, she added, “Sorry. I did try. However, as nothing was making any sense to me, I decided to return to the drawing room. Concord joined us shortly afterward, but he seemed distracted and disappeared again. I left an hour or so before dawn, and that’s when I saw Ashmun lurking in the shadows.”
“Hmmm” was the only reply.
Reaching for the rest of the almond cake, she finished it in two quick bites, then dusted the crumbs from her fingertips. “Why, Bianca has added morsels of chocolate to the cake,” she suddenly exclaimed, wondering how she had missed it on the first taste. “Brilliant.”
“Yes, isn’t it?” murmured Saybrook abstractly.
“Sorry I can’t offer you more. Hell, a blunt sword blade isn’t much of a clue.” She made a wry face. “Perhaps they are trading in military supplies.”
“An interesting thought.” The earl began to drum his fingers on the knife-scarred maple. “A pity you didn’t hear the fellow’s name.”
“Concord seemed loath to introduce us,” she replied. “He didn’t—No, wait. He did! Say his name, that is.” Squeezing her eyes shut, Arianna replayed the encounter in her mind. “Cotter . . . Calvin . . . Kelling . . .” Her lids flew open. “Kellton. It was Kellton.”
The drumming stopped. “Describe him.”
“Heavyset, medium height, fair hair with a bald spot at the crown,” she answered. “His face was ruddy, as if he had spent time in the sun.”
“Dio Madre,” he muttered, his leg buckling slightly as his feet hit the floor.
“What?” cried Arianna, alarmed by the sudden shift into action.
“It appears, Lady Arianna, that you were one of the last people to see my corpse alive.”
14
Sandro will be pleased to learn that chocolate finally arrived in England by the mid-seventeenth century. I find it interesting that coffee from the Middle East and tea from the Orient arrived around the same time. Chocolate was the most expensive of the three, but it still became popular, especially among the elite of London, despite the cost. Samuel Pepys, the great chronicler of his time, makes regular mention in his famous diaries of drinking chocolate. . . .
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1½ cups sugar, divided
½ teaspoon salt, divided
12 large egg whites (1½ cups), at room temperature 30 minutes
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, ¾ cup sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
3. Beat egg whites with lemon juice, vanilla, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt using an electric mixer on medium-high speed until they just hold soft peaks. With mixer on high speed, add remaining ¾ cup sugar in a slow stream and beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Sift flour mixture over whites and beat on low speed until just blended (folding in any unblended flour mixture by hand if necessary).
5. Spoon batter into ungreased tube pan and smooth top. Run a rubber spatula or long knife through batter to eliminate any large air bubbles.
6. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately invert pan. If pan has “legs,” stand it on those. Otherwise, place pan over neck of a wine bottle. Cool cake completely, upside down, 1 to 1½ hours. Turn pan right side up. Run a knife around edge and center tube of pan. Lift cake, still on bottom of pan, then run a knife under bottom of cake to loosen. Invert to release cake from tube, then reinvert onto a plate. Dust lightly with cocoa powder.
7. Serve with vanilla yogurt or lightly sweetened whipped cream, and fresh berries.
“Good God, surely you don’t think that I had anything to do with his death,” exclaimed Arianna. The earl didn’t respond to her question. “This changes everything,” he muttered, more to himself than to her. “I had better go inform Henning immediately.”
He turned for the doorway . . . and nearly collided with a man rushing in from the stairwell.
“Auch, I was hoping to find you at home,” said the newcomer. He was nearly as gaunt as the earl, but stood a head shorter. The contrast didn’t stop there. Dark and Light. In contrast to Saybrook’s olive complexion and jet-black hair, the fellow had sandy locks, now liberally threaded with silver, and fair skin.