Page 119 of Summer of Sacrifice

Again with that hand rubbing at his jaw. This time, it was only unease there. No…he was nervous, she could tell that much. But it seemed to be her he was nervous about. With her cunning strengthened, he was easier to read than before, but everything was still clouded by her feelings for him. Her splendid puzzle.

No, she cursed herself. Lady Catherine’s splendid puzzle.

Cal inhaled deeply as if steeling himself. “I’ve excelled in my studies quickly and advanced at a rapid pace. By Spring, I’d been asked to shadow de Montfort in his surgeries, and even scrubbed in for some.” He looked down at his hands, and she couldn’t decipher why he was so concerned.

“That’s wonderful, Cal.”

“There’s more.” Standing, he fiddled with a button on his waistcoat. “Soon after that began, I was asked to join a…secret society of sorts.” His cheeks flushed. “Though that’s a childish term for it.”

Still, his trepidation wasn’t making any sense. “What sort of things does this society dabble in?” And what did it have to do with the murders? A jolt went through her at the thought. Was it the connection that was making him so nervous? She braced herself for his answer.

“We dabble in subjects that are considered taboo. Even to those ostracised for being grotesque surgeons.”

“Such as…”

“Poisons.” A grimace contorted his face.

“Shouldn’t doctors and surgeons alike be well-versed in poisons?”

The grimace remained. “Well, yes. But we study them differently. Along with alchemy.”

Her eyes widened. “Dabbling in a recently outlawed science? Colour me impressed.”

Cal visibly sagged. “Oh, thank the goddess,” he breathed, dropping into his chair with relief. “I wasn’t certain if you’d abhor such things or be thrilled. I knew it had to be one or the other.”

“Surely by now, you’ve realised that I’m intrigued by all manner of things, not caring an iota for the laws behind them.” It was likely the only thing she truly had in common with her Sisters. “I am quite curious to know how you study the poisons ‘differently,’ as you say.”

“We don’t test them on living subjects if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said quickly. “It’s erm…complicated.”

“I can handle complicated.”

“Right. We take certain tissues and organs from recently deceased subjects?—”

“Human subjects?”

His cheeks flushed. “Yes. And this is where most dare not tread. It is why High Society finds the work of surgery to be brutal. Because it is.”

“I’m not judging you, Cal. I’m only clarifying for the sake of the facts. How is one to know the inside of a mortal body without cutting it open to find out?”

His shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Bless you for understanding.”

She smiled in encouragement and gestured for him to go on.

“We take the extremely fresh organs and inject certain poisons, to study their effects. This is not an exact science, as the subjects are deceased and we can’t see how, say, belladonna causes delirium or the shortness of breath cyanide causes. But we can still gather quite a bit of information from these experiments.” Cal stood, walking behind his chair and gripping the back of it. “I’d been injecting arsenic in several different organs for nearly a fortnight when I noticed the full effects of it on a liver. It almost perfectly copied a disease of the liver.”

“Much like your father’s symptoms, I presume.”

“Precisely. When Dr. Pollock died of what was assumed to be the onset of état de mal, my suspicions began to grow. Cyanide has a similar effect over time, eventually seizing the body unto death.”

Seleste sighed her agreement. That was something she knew all too well, thanks to Sorscha. “And the others who have passed? How does this connect to them?”

Cal quirked a smile that had nothing to do with humour, his index finger extended. “That is where it gets interesting. Some in our society seem to be intrigued by darker things.”

“Like?”

“Arts that should not be meddled in.” Cal pulled out his pocket comb and ran his thumb up and down the teeth, though Seleste doubted he even realised he was doing so. “I don’t know exactly what, per se, that they do. I think there is another level to the secrecy of our society. In poking around where I don’t belong, I discovered a list of names.”

She took a compulsory step forward. “The deceased?”

---