Mr. Wainwright grinned. "Quite right, madam. It was the queen's confessor, Father Garrard, who preserved the letters she received from Léonard. Had he not, her jailors almost certainly would have destroyed them after her execution." He dabbed a rather too gray handkerchief across his brow. "I am certain Léonard kept those she sent to him but have never been able to determine what became of them after his death."

I would have liked to tell him that the letters were at this moment in my own library but worried that admitting I had them might somehow bring danger to my household. I would, however, make a point of letting him read them once I'd solved all the puzzles before me. "Have you tried to find Léonard's letters?" I asked.

"Not really," he said. "When things like that disappear into private collections, they are often lost entirely to scholars. If one knows who possesses them, there's at least hope that the owner will allow them to be studied. But, often, it's impossible to figure out who owns what."

"This is precisely why I have been trying to convince collectors to donate significant pieces to the museum."

"Yes, I have heard about your efforts." He pulled a face. "It's unfortunate that it is so difficult to persuade your peers to part with their treasures."

"I know it all too well. I wonder if it would be feasible to at least catalog what people have tucked away in their homes."

"A daunting prospect, Lady Ashton. Have you any idea how long it would take to do that at just one aristocratic estate?" I thought about my husband's collection at Ashton Hall, the magnificent Derbyshire estate of the Viscounts Ashton. He had, in fact, kept his pieces cataloged, but I knew that was not common practice. "And aside from things that are displayed in houses, there are untold treasures, historical documents in particular, packed away in attics. To catalog those would be nearly impossible."

"You're undoubtedly correct."

"If you'd like, you may borrow my copy of Léonard's memoir. I don't know that it will be of much help." He handed a book to me. I thanked him and left the library, my thoughts scattering in more directions than I cared to count. I had an idea of how to begin my search for the letters but wondered if they really would provide any insight into the murders in Richmond. I thought of Jane in prison. I thought of Mrs. Francis, and I felt more than slightly guilty that a good portion of my brain was occupied with thoughts of how I might begin to catalog the treasures of England's country houses.

For the moment, the catalog would have to wait. I remembered the list I had found in Mr. Berry's room. He had known where to find Marie Antoinette's letters, something that, according to Mr. Wainwright, was not common knowledge. And our intrepid thief certainly had no difficulty figuring out who owned objects that had belonged to the French queen. If both of them could acquire this knowledge, certainly it was not beyond my reach.

Not feeling much like having another encounter with Mr. Berry, I decided to focus on the thief. That his identity remained a mystery did not deter me in the least. I would do what any lady would when trying to contact an unknown gentleman; I marched directly to the offices of the Times and placed an ad in the classifieds section. Tomorrow, buried in with pleas that the lady in the pink dress near the Achilles statue and that the gentleman who so kindly bestowed upon me a rose at so — and — so's ball would come forward and identify themselves, my own request would appear:


To the gentleman who delivered the two pinks: You may find me in front of the Rosett a Stone at two o'clock Thursday.


Pleased with myself, I returned to Berkeley Square. I hardly realized how exhausted I was until I'd dropped into the most comfortable chair in my library, where Cécile woke me three quarters of an hour later.

"Beatrice has just arrived."

Still groggy, I dragged myself to my feet, and Cécile took my arm. "I am worried about her, Kallista. She is extremely upset."

Lizzie was standing in the hallway outside the drawing room and opened the door for us. "Will you want tea for Mrs. Francis, madam?"

"Yes, please," I replied, thinking it was odd that Lizzie knew the identity of my caller. Surely Davis would not have sent her to hover outside the room. This thought was entirely forgotten, however, when I saw Beatrice's tear-streaked face.

"The police have proof that Jane Stilleman delivered the poison to David's room," she said, pulling on her black-hemmed handkerchief with such force that I thought it would rip.

"My dear friend, sit," I said, ushering her to a chair. "You must try to calm down."

"This is too awful to bear," she said, sobbing. "They will hang her, you know."

"What is their evidence?" I asked.

"One of the housemaids was changing the bed linens the day before David died. While she was in the room, Jane came in with a bottle of shaving lotion. The maid remembers this, because the valet—"

"Stilleman?"

"Yes. He was also in the room and told Jane that it was not the proper kind of lotion. David always used Penhaligon's, and this was from Floris. She insisted that it had been delivered for Mr. Francis and persuaded her husband to set it with the other toiletries."

"Has this maid any reason to want Jane found guilty?" Cécile asked.

"Of course not. I've told you, Jane is a sweet girl. No one would want to harm her."

"I know you're distressed," I said. "But we must look at the facts before us with as little bias as possible. Jane was having an affair. There may be persons other than her husband who were upset by this. I shall come to Richmond tomorrow and see what I can uncover."

"I don't know what I would do if I couldn't turn to you."

Davis opened the door. "Mrs. Brandon to see you, madam." Ivy came in, looking more drawn and fatigued than I had ever before seen her. As soon as she saw Beatrice, however, she forced a bright smile and acted delighted to make the acquaintance. Beatrice, too, pulled herself together with remarkable speed. They conversed effortlessly, breezing through society's favorite banal subjects, neither of them paying any real attention to what the other said. It was as if the exchange were perfectly choreographed.

I was unnerved to see how well Ivy had slid into the role of society lady, hiding her emotions, concerned only with putting on a polite appearance. And as for Beatrice, although I did not know her so well as I did Ivy, it was an extraordinary thing to watch her bury emotions that only moments before had completely overwhelmed her. I tried to catch Cécile's eye, but she was busy removing Brutus from a battle with my velvet curtain. I'm sorry to say that the curtain appeared to have lost the struggle.

"Emily and Cécile, I've no desire to keep you from your charming friend," Beatrice said. "Forgive my intrusion, and please accept my thanks for your assistance." She took her leave just as Lizzie entered with a tea tray.

"Are you well, Ivy?" Cécile asked.

"Everything is lovely, thank you, Madame du Lac," Ivy replied, watching the maid pour. "Those are beautiful teacups, Emily. Have you always had them?"

"I never took you for a connoisseur of china," I said. Brutus, not pleased with being pulled off the drapes, turned his attention to Lizzie's skirts. I picked up the dog, dropped him into Cécile's lap, and dismissed the maid. "Come now, what is troubling you?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Ivy said, her pretty brow furrowed.

"There are no servants here. You are free to say anything you wish."

She cringed. "Am I so obvious?"

"Oui," Cécile replied. "And I think you will speak more frankly if I leave you to Kallista."

"Oh, madame, I wouldn't want to drive you from your tea."

"Do not trouble yourself. I've no interest in tea and only drink it when Kallista forces it upon me." She collected her dogs — Caesar, never as bad-mannered as Brutus, was sitting quietly under his owner's chair — and sailed out of the room, giving Ivy a reassuring pat on the arm as she passed her.

"I'm afraid I've had a rather brutal day," Ivy said. "Robert's mother and I have been working together to rearrange the paintings in the family portrait gallery." Ivy's mother-in-law had a tendency to meddle, but Ivy, brilliant in her ability to manage people, had quickly figured out how to make the former mistress of her house feel useful, even necessary, without bowing to her every wish.

"Surely you've made her think that your ideas are her own, and the pictures are precisely where you'd like them."

"Not quite. I couldn't bear to spend another moment surrounded by Robert's ghastly ancestors all looking as if they're sitting in judgment on me, and had a footman remove a picture of some woman with her thirteen hideous children. Mrs. Brandon was rather affronted."

"I can well imagine. What brings on this sudden animosity?" I had my suspicions, but instead of saying so, put my arm around my friend and drew her head onto my shoulder.

"Do you ever speak with Philip's mother?" she asked.

"Not often. She calls on me occasionally if she's in town."

"I suppose you would see her more often if you and Philip had a child."

"Is Robert's mother beginning to prod you about producing an heir?"

"She would never bring up such a delicate subject."

"But she can't help applying subtle pressure," I said.

"It's not just her." I poured her more tea, and she emptied the cup in one gulp. "Robert and I have been married for almost a year. Every person to whom I speak inquires pointedly after my health."