Page 101 of Affair

Sixteen

“While you spoke with Tiles, Norris confided to me that he can recall nothing connected directly to the duel.” Hamilton turned to pace back across the library. “He doesn’t remember the instructions he received when the magician put him into a trance. He does not even recollect the experiment.”

“Did he give you any reason for calling Tiles out?”

“No. None. He does not remember the act. He claims that it was not until he fired his pistol that he suddenly realized that he was confronting the most dangerous duelist in all of London. And he did not even know why.”

“Does he recall that you and the other club members attempted to dissuade him from going forward with the duel?”

“No.” Hamilton came to a halt in front of a wall of books. He grasped the rail of the library steps. “As you saw, he was obviously badly shaken by the whole incident.”

One glance at Norris’s bewildered, utterly exhausted expression had convinced Baxter that a serious interrogation of the young man would be useless. He had reluctantly instructed the coachman to set Norris down in front of the large Lennox mansion. Hamilton had seen his friend indoors and then returned to the carriage to accompany Baxter home. Neither had said a word until they walked into the library.

“When Norris recovers, he will discover that he has acquired himself an enviable reputation,” Baxter said. “He is, after all, one of very few men who has had the audacity to call out Anthony Tiles and survive unharmed.”

“True.” Hamilton’s mouth quirked in spite of his obviously somber mood. “It’s rather ironic, is it not? Norris is the most even-tempered, good-natured man I have ever met and now he will be known as a bold and dashing man of the world, a reckless, neck-or-nothing out-and-outer.”

“Should do wonders for his social life. I trust his new image will not go to his head.”

“Unlikely.” Hamilton’s smile faded. “He is grateful to be alive. The last thing he wants to do is risk his neck anytime soon.”

“As he appears to have no memory of the affair, I must rely upon you for information. Will you help me discover the identity of this quack you call a magician?”

Hamilton turned to face him. His eyes were bleak, his mouth grim. He looked a good deal older than he had yesterday, Baxter thought.

“Yes, I’ll do whatever I can,” Hamilton said. “I’m well aware that I’m in your debt, Baxter.”

“You owe me nothing.”

“What the devil do you mean by that? You saved my friend’s life. I cannot begin to repay you. Neither can Norris.”

“You were the one who took steps to save Norris’s neck. You put aside your personal feelings and came to me for assistance. That took courage, will, and resourcefulness.”

Hamilton flushed. For a moment he looked as confused as Norris had after the duel. “I did not know where else to turn. I had tried logic and reason on Norris. He did not respond to my pleas or my arguments. We could not find the magician. I was desperate.”

“I know. You did what you believed necessary to save a friend’s life, even though it meant asking my help. I know how difficult that must have been. If Norris is grateful to anyone, he should be grateful to you.”

“I was not the one who knew how to alter the chemicals in the gunpowder.”

Baxter shrugged. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t believe that Tiles would have shot Norris in cold blood.”

“Everyone knows Tiles is utterly ruthless.”

“That is certainly his reputation. But he had nothing against Norris.”

“The lack of a reason would not have stopped a man of Tiles’s nature.” Hamilton frowned. “Do you think he suspects that something was wrong with the gunpowder?”

“He’s not stupid.”

Alarm flashed in Hamilton’s eyes. “You mean he knows what happened today?”

“He has a fairly accurate notion of what went wrong with his pistol, yes. And he is well aware that I am a chemist. It did not require a great deal of reasoning for him to put the facts together and come up with a theory.”

“Hell’s teeth, Baxter. If he knows about the gunpowder, he may well blame you. He might call you out. You could be his next victim.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re worried about my neck?”

“It would not be right if Tiles tried to take revenge against you because you helped me save Norris.”

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