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was serious, he realized. “Damnation, woman, are you mad? I don’t believe this. Why would you want to search their studies in the first place? What did you hope to discover?”
    “Black wax and a seal engraved with a phoenix,” she said succinctly. “Both were used to seal the blackmail notes that Aunt Zoe received.”
    “Bloody hell.” Marcus was too stunned by her audacity to think clearly for a few seconds. He finally collected his thoughts. “Black sealing wax is not uncommon. I use it myself.”
    “I know, but you are unusual in that you use it for your routine correspondence, my lord. Most people employ black wax only for mourning. And you must admit that a phoenix seal is uncommon. In fact, the use of a seal, any sort of seal, is, in itself, distinctive. One would think that the average blackmailer would use a simple wafer to seal his letters.”
    “Is there such a thing as an average blackmailer?”
    “I am serious, sir. Black wax and a seal engraved with a phoenix would constitute strong evidence against the blackmailer.”
    “So you went looking for both?” It was simply too outrageous to be believed. The lady was surely lying, which he had suspected from the start. That was the only explanation, Marcus concluded.
    And he had thought he was an inventor of some talent, he thought wryly. Iphiginia Bright could give him lessons.
    “Unfortunately, I have not yet had a chance to search the studies or libraries of the others.”
    “Which others?”
    “The men with whom you frequently play cards, of course.”
    “You intend to search the libraries or studies of every man with whom I have played cards?” Marcus was curious to see how elaborate her tangle of lies would prove to be.
    “No, only those who were also in the habit of playing cards with Lord Guthrie when he was alive,” Iphiginia said crisply. She held up a hand and ticked off familiar names. “Lartmore, Darrow, Pettigrew, and Judson. They are the four men who link your household and that of my aunt’s.”
    “Because they were known to play cards at one time or another with both me and Guthrie?”
    Iphiginia sighed. “It was the only link I could discover between your circle and that of my aunt’s. I concluded that someone who knew Lord Guthrie had somehow learned Aunt Zoe’s secret. Perhaps from a servant. That same person also knew a great deal about you.”
    “But not a secret worthy of blackmail,” Marcus pointed out. “I told you, I am not being blackmailed.”
    “Perhaps not, my lord, but the blackmailer was sufficiently well acquainted with you to know that you intended to be out of Town for a considerable length of time.”
    “That was not a secret, either.”
    “No?” Iphiginia gave him a challenging look. “Virtually everything you do is a secret to most people, sir. Think back. How many people actually knew your plans to go to your estate for a month?”
    “Any number of people,” Marcus replied easily. “My man of affairs, for example. My servants.”
    “And the men with whom you played whist shortly before you left London?” Iphiginia asked blandly.
    “Hell and damnation.” Marcus experienced a grudgingsense of admiration. The lady was clever, indeed. “You really did make a thorough study of me, did you not?”
    “Yes, sir, I did. I am very good at research. Among the things I discovered almost immediately was that you had played cards with Lartmore, Darrow, Pettigrew, and Judson at one of your clubs the day before you left London.”
    “And Lady Guthrie confirmed that they had also played a few hands with her late husband.”
    “Not only that,” Iphiginia said with great satisfaction, “but they had played cards quite regularly with him for nearly twenty years before he died, sir. That number is important because my aunt’s great secret dates back eighteen years.”
    Marcus smiled slowly. “Brilliant, Mrs. Bright. Absolutely brilliant. You have concocted a truly amazing tale to explain your