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wouldn't surprise me in the least to discover that Carlisle's death was not an accident."
    "Well, that is neither here nor there now, is it? The important thing is that the villain is dead." Lavinia hesitated. "March wants me to help him find the diary. He wants us to combine our efforts." "That makes perfect sense, does it not? You are both determined to find it, so why not form a partnership?" "March has a client who is paying him a fee for his efforts. I do not." Emeline studied her over the rim of her coffee cup. "Perhaps you can negotiate with Mr. March to give you a portion of the money his client pays him. You developed a distinct talent for bargaining while we were in Italy." "I have given the matter some consideration," Lavinia admitted slowly. "But the notion of a partnership with March makes me extremely uneasy" "It does not appear that you have much choice. It would be a trifle inconvenient for us if the gossip about our business in Rome began to circulate here in London., "You have a gift for understatement, Emeline. It would be more than inconvenient. It would utterly destroy my new career, to say nothing of your chance to enjoy a Season." "Speaking of your career, did you happen to mention the nature of your new profession to Mr. March last night?" "Of course not. Why would I do that?" "I merely wondered if, in the intimacy of the setting in which you and Mr. March found yourselves, you perhaps felt called upon to confide in him." "There was nothing intimate about the setting. For heaven's sake, Emeline, there was a dead man in the same room with us." "Yes, of course." "One does not become intimate under such circumstances."
    "I understand." "In any event, the last thing I would want to do is become intimate in any way with Tobias March." "Your voice is rising, Aunt Lavinia. You know what that means." Lavinia slammed her cup down onto the saucer with a great deal of force. "It means that my nerves have been sorely tried." "Indeed. But it is clear to me that you have no choice but to do as Mr. March suggests and join together to search for the diary." "Nothing can convince me that forming a partnership with that man would be wise." "Calm yourself," Emeline said gently. "You are allowing your personal feelings about Mr. March to interfere with sound judgment." "Mark my words, Tobias March is once again playing his own deep game, just as he was the last time we had the misfortune to encounter him." "What game would that be?" Emeline asked, showing the first hint of exasperation. Lavinia contemplated the question for a moment. "It is entirely possible that he is seeking the diary for the same reasons that Holton Felix wanted it. For purposes of extortion and blackmail." Emeline's spoon clattered loudly on the saucer. "Never say you actually think that Mr. March intends to set himself up as an extortionist. I refuse to believe he has anything in common with a creature like Holton Felix." "We know nothing about Tobias March." Lavinia flattened her palms on the table and shoved herself to her feet. "Who can guess what he would do if he managed to gain possession of the diary?" Emeline said nothing. Lavinia clasped her hands behind her back and began to pace around the table.
    Emeline sighed. "Very well, I cannot give you any reason to trust Mr. March, beyond the fact that he did see to it that we got safely back to England after the disaster in Rome. It must have cost him a small fortune." "He wanted us out of the way In any event, I very much doubt March paid the expenses of that journey I'm sure he sent the bill to his client." "Perhaps, but my point is that you have no choice in this affair. Surely it is better to work with him than to ignore him. At least that way you will be in a position to learn whatever he discovers." "And vice versa." Emeline's expression tightened. An uncharacteristic anxiety flickered in her gaze. "Have you got a more cunning plan?" "I don't know yet." Lavinia came to a halt and reached into