The Paid Companion | Herophine

Chapter Twenty Seven

“Good heavens, sir.” Lady Wilmington’s voice quivered. Her teacup rattled when she put it down on the saucer. “I don’t know what to say. That is ... that is unbelievable. Your butler, too, you say? But why would anyone kill him?”

“To silence him after gaining information from him.”

Lady Wilmington shook her head once as though to clear it. “About what, pray to tell?”

“My inquiries into George Tiffin’s murder, of course. The killer is aware now that I am hunting him. He wished to discover what I had learned thus far.” Hero's jaw tightened.

“Which is not much. Certainly not worth a man’s death.”

“Indeed not.” Lady Wilmington shuddered.

“But this villain is not thinking in a wholly rational manner,” Hero told her. “I believe he killed my great-uncle and Glentworth to obtain the red stones set into their snuffboxes.”

Lady Wilmington frowned. “I recall those extraordinary gems very well. Quite fascinating. Treyford felt that they were unusually dark rubies, but Glentworth and Tiffin believed that they had been crafted in ancient times from some sort of unique glass.”

“Did you ever see my great-uncle’s lapidary?” Hero asked. “The one he brought back from Italy along with the stones?”

“Yes, indeed.” She sighed wistfully. “What of it?”

“I believe the villain we are hunting is sufficiently mad as to believe that he can build the infernal device described in the Book of Stones,” Hero said.

Lady Wilmington stared at him, momentarily openmouthed with astonishment.

“Surely not,” she finally said with great conviction. “That is absolute nonsense. I cannot believe that even a madman would take the instructions in that old book seriously.”

Hero looked back at her over his shoulder. “Did the three men ever discuss the machine?”

“Yes, of course.” Lady Wilmington collected herself. Her voice steadied. “The lapidary named it Jove’s Thunderbolt. We discussed the device on several occasions. Treyford and the others actually tried to construct it. But in the end, they all concluded that it could never be made to function.”

“What caused them to be so certain of that?” Josephine asked.

Lady Wilmington massaged her temples with the fingers of one hand. “I do not recall all of the details. Something to do with the difficulty of applying the energy of an intense fire into the heart of the stones to excite the latent energy of the gems. They all agreed in the end that there was no way to accomplish that task.”

“I am aware that my great-uncle came to that conclusion,” Hero said. “But are you sure that Glentworth and Treyford did also?”

“Yes.” A faraway expression flickered in Lady Wilmington’s eyes. Once again she touched her locket in a fleeting gesture as though seeking comfort while she looked into the past. “Mind you, it was fashionable in those days for some who were consumed by the study of science and mathematics to flirt with the occult. In some circles, the dark arts continue to fascinate even the most well-educated minds today. No doubt that will prove to be true in the future as well.”

Josephine watched her closely. “It is said that the great Newton himself was fascinated with the occult and devoted many years to the serious study of alchemy.”

“Indeed,” Lady Wilmington stated firmly. “And if a mind that brilliant can be seduced by the dark arts, who can blame a lesser mortal for falling prey to such intriguing mysteries?”