“It was distressing news, for you see, timing is critical. Our foreign partner is demanding a further sample of how the numbers can be made to yield fabulous profits before making a final commitment, and it so happens that we promised him a special formula for how to shave an extra profit from the sale of every share of stock,” continued Gavin. “The deal was in danger of falling through. Until I thought of you.”
Her head began to swim. “You thought of me? From all that my father said, I—I always assumed that Concord, and his friend Hamilton, were behind all the business schemes.”
“Concord and Hamilton?” Gavin gave a nasty laugh. “Neither had the brains nor the vision to be a real leader. Yes, they and your father did some deals together. But they were only small-scale swindles.”
Arianna found herself longing for Saybrook’s calming presence. Her hands were beginning to tremble with uncontrolled emotion. Steady, steady.
“So you see, my dear,” said Cockburn, “we’re offering you an extraordinary opportunity.”
Clasping her fingers together in her lap, she squeezed out a terse reply. “I’m not interested.”
“No?” Cockburn’s genial smile faded. “Pray, why not?”
“Because I know what sort of deals my father was involved in, and I have no desire to repeat his mistakes in life.” I make enough of my own, she added silently.
“We could make you a very rich lady,” said Gavin.
“You are forgetting that I am already a rich widow.”
“Are you?” he countered. “I don’t think so. But whatever game you are playing with the ton, be assured that ours will make you far more blunt.”
She watched the patterns of shadow and light dance over the rough-hewn rock. “What makes you think that I have inherited my father’s knack for numbers?”
“Because even before he left England, Richard used to wax poetic about how his little daughter was more of a genius than he was,” answered Cockburn.
Her throat tightened, as if an unseen hand was gripping her flesh.
“A wizard,” went on the marquess. “With a magical ability to make mathematics do her bidding.”
Somehow she managed to keep her voice level. “If you knew my father as well as you claim, then you are aware that he often distorted the truth. He was, in a word, a liar. A charming one, to be sure, but a liar nonetheless.”
Her words stirred a flicker of uncertainty in Cockburn’s eyes.
Gavin, however, responded with a snarl. “It is you who are lying, Lady Arianna. Your family cook in Jamaica has regaled me with stories of you cleverness—”
“Philip,” cautioned Cockburn.
She was suddenly tired of all the deceptions, weary of all the lies. What did it matter? For once, she would simply be herself. “Regardless of whether I possess my father’s talents for mathematics, I will not use them to help you.”
“Why, you haven’t even heard our offer,” said Cockburn.
“It’s not the money, it’s the principle,” she said slowly, the statement surprising her as much as it did them. “What you are asking is . . . evil.”
“Who do these financial manipulations really hurt?” asked Cockburn quickly.
Good God, he sounded as if he actually believed his own drivel.
“Yes, we will profit handsomely,” said the marquess. “But so will a lot of other people.”
Her mouth curled in contempt. “Ask that question of Concord.”
Gavin shifted his stance. “Concord made the fatal mistake of prying too deeply into our affairs. We had cut him into the business of distributing Devil’s Delight because of his connections with the gaming hells in London, but he was greedy. He suspected we had bigger plans, and issued an ultimatum earlier today.” He flicked his wrist, as if swatting at a fly. “In doing so, he became a liability and forced us to move more quickly than we would have liked.”
“So we improvised,” interjected Cockburn. “An ability that is the key to any successful endeavor.”
“Concord was stupid,” went on Gavin. “I had hoped that you would be smarter.”
“What are you going to do? Stick a knife in my heart, too?”
His expression might well have been carved out of the surrounding stone for all the emotion that it showed. “It would be foolish on your part to let it come to that.”
“Two bodies in one night?” she said. “Even you might have difficulty explaining that away.”
“Not at all,” he shot back. “Everyone saw you go off with Concord. I will simply claim that I saw you kill him and followed in pursuit as you fled the scene. That you put up a fight, forcing me to defend myself, won’t be questioned.”
True.
Her mouth went a little dry, but she managed to keep her voice level. “I won’t help you. And there is nothing you can do to convince me otherwise.”
“Nothing?” With a low laugh, Gavin slowly unrolled the chamois, revealing a set of slim steel scalpels.
In spite of her resolve, her heart kicked up and thudded against her ribs.
“We shall see about that.”
24
What a pity that between the dangers of war and the achings of my old bones, travel is such a daunting endeavor for me to contemplate these days. I should very much like to visit Paris, where I hear that a physician by the name of Sulpice Debauve, who served as pharmacist to King Louis XVI, has just opened a shop at 4 Faubourg Saint-Germain that sells edible chocolate! I must write to Sandro right away and tell him about this marvelous idea. . . .
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus additional for greasing ramekins
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
1 large egg, separated
pinch of salt
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons cajeta (Mexican caramel)
4 tablespoons pecans, toasted and chopped
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 oven-safe bowls or ramekins.
2. Melt butter and chocolate in heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and cool, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Whisk in egg yolk, salt, and ground cinnamon until combined. Beat egg white in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until it holds soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, and continue to beat until white just holds stiff, glossy peaks. Whisk one-fourth of white into chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold remaining white gently but thoroughly.
3. Divide batter between bowls or ramekins. Cover each bowl with small squares of foil and crimp foil tightly around rim. Place a baking dish in oven and pour hot water (easiest with a teakettle) into dish. Carefully place ramekins into baking dish. Make sure foil is above water. Bake until puddings are set, about 30 minutes. The desserts will be slightly gooey to the touch.
4. Transfer bowls to a rack and cool puddings, uncovered, about 1 hour. Just before serving, unmold puddings into serving bowls or onto a plate. First, unmold desserts by taking a knife and running it along the edge of the ramekin. Second, place ramekins into a bowl with hot water for about 15 seconds. Turn ramekin upside down and tap bottom. Top each pudding with 2 tablespoons of cajeta and 2 tablespoons of the pecans.