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see one." He gave her a humorless smile. "Come now, the two of us managed to track down Felix independently, did we not?"
    "Felix was an incompetent fool who left all sorts of clues. I had no problem bribing the urchin he used to deliver his blackmail notes. The lad gave me the direction in exchange for a few coins and a hot meat pie." "Very clever of you." Tobias looked back into the other room, where the dead man lay on the carpet in front of the fire. "I do not believe that whoever succeeded in murdering Felix will be quite so inept. Therefore, we had best combine forces, madam." A fresh wave of alarm shot through her. "Whatever are you talking about?" "I' 'm sure you comprehend my meaning." He switched his gaze back to her. One brow rose. "Whatever else you are, you are not slow-witted." So much for hoping he would want them to go their separate ways after this meeting. "Now see here," she said crisply "I have no intention whatsoever of forming any sort of partnership with you, Mr. March. Every time you appear, you cause me no end of trouble." "There have been only two occasions when we have been obliged to spend time in each other's company." "Both have been disastrous, thanks to you." "That is your opinion." He took an uneven stride toward her and grasped her arm firmly in his large gloved hand. "From my perspective, it is you who possess a most remarkable talent for complicating a situation beyond belief." "Really, sir, this is too much. Kindly take your hands off me." "I fear I cannot do that, Mrs. Lake." He guided her out of the room and down the back hall. "Given that we are both enmeshed in this web, I must insist we work together to untangle it."
    "I can't believe you encountered Mr. March again. And under such odd circumstances." Emeline put down her coffee cup and regarded Lavinia across the breakfast table. "What an astounding coincidence. " "Rubbish. It is no such thing, if his tale is to be believed." Lavinia tapped her spoon against the side of her plate. "According to him, this affair of blackmail is connected to that business in Rome." "Does he think that Holton Felix was a member of this criminal gang called the Blue Chamber?" "No. Apparently Felix came into possession of the diary more or less by chance." "And now someone else has it." Emeline looked thoughtful. "Presumably whoever murdered Felix. And Mr. March is still on the trail. He is really quite tenacious, is he not?"
    "Bah. He is doing this for the money So long as someone is willing to pay him to make inquiries, it is in his own best financial interests to be tenacious." She made a face. "Although why his client continues to purchase his services after his shockingly incompetent performance in Rome defeats me." "You know very well we must be grateful for the way he carried out his inquiries in Italy. Another man in his position might well have concluded that we were, indeed, members of that gang of cutthroats and acted accordingly." "Anyone engaged in such inquiries would have had to be a fool to imagine we were involved in criminal activities." "Yes, of course," Emeline said soothingly, "but one can certainly see how another, less intelligent, less observant gentleman than Mr. March might have concluded that we were members of the gang." "Do not be so quick to credit Tobias March with any positive qualities, Emeline. 1, for one, do not trust him." "Yes, I can see that. Why ever not?" Lavinia spread her hands. "For heaven's sake, I found him at the scene of a murder last night." "He found you at the same scene," Emeline pointed out. "Yes, but he had got there before me. Felix was already dead when I arrived. For all I know, March was the one who killed him." "Oh, I doubt that very much." Lavinia stared at her. "How can you say that? March was quite free with the information that Mr. Carlisle did not survive the en- counter in Rome." "I thought you said something about an unfortunate accident on the stairs." "That was March's version of events. It