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precisely, happened to that man Carlisle? You claimed he would show up in our shop to collect the message from his minion." "Carlisle arrived after you left." " Well? " "He tripped and fell on the stairs." Her eyes widened in disbelief. "He tripped and fell?"
    "Accidents do happen, Mrs. Lake. A staircase can be treacherous." "Bah. I knew it. You mishandled matters after Emeline and I left that night, did you not?" "There were complications." "Obviously." For some reason, in spite of the horrific situation, she was able to take a perverse satisfaction in laying the blame at his feet. "I should have guessed the truth immediately after I received Holton Felix's first extortion note. After all, things had been going along quite smoothly until that moment. I should have known that when problems arose, you would be at the root." "Damnation, Mrs. Lake, this is not the time to take me to task. You know nothing of the intricacies of this affair." "Admit it, sir. This problem with the valet's diary is entirely your fault. If you had dealt properly with the situation in Rome, we would not be here tonight." He went very still. In the hellish light cast by the fire, his eyes were very dangerous. "I assure you, the serpent who controlled that band of vipers in Italy is dead. Unfortunately, that was not the end of the matter. My client wishes to see the entire affair resolved. He has engaged me to do so, and that is precisely what I intend to do." She went cold. "I see." "Carlisle was at one time a member of a criminal organization known as the Blue Chamber. The gang had tentacles throughout England and Europe. For many years the organization was controlled by a leader who styled himself Azure." Her mouth went dry. For some inexplicable reason she sensed he was telling her the truth. "How very theatrical." "Azure was the undisputed head of the organization. But from what we can discern, he died about a year ago. The Blue Chamber has been in chaos since his death. Azure had two powerful lieutenants, Carlisle and another man whose identity remains a mystery." "Azure and Carlisle are both gone, so I assume your client wants you to discover the identity of the third man?" "Yes. The diary may contain that information. With luck, it will also tell us who Azure was and clear up a few other questions as well. Now do you see why it is so dangerous?" "Indeed." Tobias picked up a sheaf of papers. "Rather than just standing there, why don't you make yourself useful?" "Useful? " "I did not have an opportunity to search the bedchamber before you arrived. Take a candle and see what you can discover in the room. I will finish in here." Her first impulse was to tell him to consign himself to Hades. But belatedly it occurred to her that he had a point. They were both after the same thing, it seemed. The advantages of dividing up the task of searching Felix's rooms were self-evident. in addition, there was another extremely compelling reason for following his instructions. If she took the bedchamber, she would not have to work in sight of the bloody body. She picked up a candle. "You do realize that there is a very good chance that whoever murdered Mr. Felix found the diary and took it away?" "If that is the case, our problems are considerably compounded." He cast her a cold-eyed look. "One step at a time, Mrs. Lake. Let us first see if we can discover that damned diary. It would certainly simplify matters." He was right, she thought. March was irritating, provoking, and extremely annoying, but he was correct. One disaster at a time. That was the only way to get through this affair. It was, in point of fact, the way she got through life. She hurried into the small room adjoining the parlor. There was a book on the table beside the bed. A tingle of excitement sparked within her. Perhaps luck was with her, after all. She crossed the room to examine the title in the glow of the. flame. The Education of a Lady. On the off chance that the leather binding might