Page 51 (2/2)

My eyes widened "Psst!" I waved "It’s not a faesture as the er

"I believe Sylvia was able to track the item down to a recent sale But of course she is too discreet to tell etic response for a few moments Then the kitten pounced "You will contact the owner for randson disappointed at such a happy time"

Lord Sutton was reduced to utter silence

"The de Cler and happy relationship with Sotheby’s

Matthew’s toould have collapsed under the weight of his books if not forSamuel Baker"

"Good Lord" Phoebe’s jaw dropped

"And you ed to clear out most of Matthew’s house in Amsterdam I never liked that fellow or his pictures You know the one I s all look unfinished?"

"Frans Hals," Phoebe whispered, eyes round

"Frans Hals" Ysabeau nodded approvingly at her future daughter-in-law "Now you and I loo over the fireplace in the upstairs parlor"

Phoebe squeaked I suspected that a trip to A adventures

Lord Suttonnone of it

"I trust you coh it was clear to everyone, Lord Sutton in particular, that she did not "We can discuss this over coffee tomorrow"

It was Lord Sutton’s turn to squeak A rapid stream of explanations and justifications followed

"You don’t need to come to France I’m in London Quite close to your offices on Bond Street, as a er "Eleven o’clock? Good Giveup "What?" she de at Phoebe and me in turn

"You just ht you said diplomacy was required"

"Diplomacy, yes Elaborate scheer sreat deal In time, Phoebe, you will have many creatures in your debt, too

Then you will see how easy it is to achieve your desires" Ysabeau eyed me sharply "You look pale, Diana Aren’t you happy that you will soon have all three es from the Book of Life?"

"Yes," I said

"Then what is the problem?" Ysabeau’s eyebrow lifted

The proble standing between me and the need to steal a manuscript from the Bodleian Library I was about to beco," I said faintly

Back at the desk in the aptly nas, trying not to think whatpage Unable to concentrate onof a tree in Kircher’s substantial body of work, I rose and went to theThe street beloas quiet, with only the occasional parent leading a child down the sidewalk or a tourist holding a map

Matthew could always jostle , or a joke, or (even better) a kiss Needing to feel closer to him, I prowled down the vacant second-floor hallway until I reached his study My hand hovered over the knob After a moment of indecision, I twisted it and went inside

The aroma of cinnamon and cloves washed over me Matthew could not have been here in the past twelve months, yet his absence had made me nedroo had not been allowed in here This room was masculine and unfussy, its walls lined with bookshelves and s Splendid globes--one celestial, the other terrestrial--sat in wooden stands, ready to be consulted should a question of astronoraphy present itself

Natural curiosities were scattered here and there on sh weaving a spell to bring Matthew back, stopping occasionally to exalobe a spin The oddest chair I’d ever seen required a longer pause Its high, deeply curved back had a leather-covered book stand mounted on it, and the seat was shaped rather like a saddle The only way to occupy the chair would be to sit astride it, as Gallowglass did whenever he turned a chair at the dining-roo the book stand would put the contraption at the perfect height for holding a book or so ly co for hours in the aht from the s

I dis over the fireplace asp: a life-size double portrait of Philippe and Ysabeau

Matthew’s mother and father wore splendid clothes frohteenth century, that happy period of fashion oes and h heels of the previous century My fingers itched to touch the surface of the painting, convinced that they would be met with silks and lace rather than canvas

What wasabout the portrait was not the vividness of their features (though it would be inize Ysabeau) but the way the artist had captured the relationship between Philippe and his wife

Philippe de Clermont faced the viewer in a splendid cream-and-blue silk suit, his broad shoulders square to the canvas and his right hand extended toward Ysabeau as if he were about to introduce her A s the stern lines of his face and the long sword that hung from his belt Philippe’s eyes, however, did not ested they should Instead they were directed in a sidelong glance at Ysabeau Nothing, it see his attention away from the woman he loved Ysabeau was painted in three-quarter profile, one hand resting lightly in her husband’s fingers and the other holding up the folds of her crea forward to be closer to Philippe Instead of looking up at her husband, however, Ysabeau stared boldly at the viewer, her lips parted as if surprised to be interrupted in such a privatetouch of a witch’s glance

"Is that Matthew’s father?" Sarah asked, standing at rand canvas

"Yes It’s an aiven how perfectly the artist captured Ysabeau" Sarah’s attention turned to , is it?" I said "Matthew is out there soet him killed, and I asked hi he didn’t want to do," Sarah said bluntly

"You don’t knohat happened in New Haven, Sarah Matthew discovered he had a grandson he didn’t know about--Benjarandson, too"

"Fernando told e," Sarah replied "He told me that Baldwin ordered Matthew to kill the boy, too--but you wouldn’t let hi that I understood why he had appointed Matthew the official de Clermont family executioner "Jack was like a child to us, Sarah And if Matthew killed Jack, ould stop hi the twins if they, too, turn out to have blood rage?"