Page 23 of Who Wants to Marry a Duke
Surprised that he knew of Rose, she said, “Alas, Mr. Rose is dead.”
“Ah,” Thorn said.
“There have been others who developed tests for arsenic. In preparation for your brother’s task, I studied and tested all the known ones by chemists Scheele, Metzger, Rose, and Hahnemann. Sadly, all but Hahnemann are dead, and Hahnemann lives in Saxony, so bringing him here would not be feasible.”
Thorn looked surprised that she even knew of the men who had tried the task. It irritated her.
“Each of their tests have flaws,” she went on. “I have, through stringent experimentation, found a better one that uses the best of their methods. Mine would be useful in the courts. That’s why your brother has engaged me for this task—because my uncle and Mrs. Fulhame felt that my test could be successful in this instance.”
Thorn was looking at her as if she’d sprouted wings.
“What?” she said. “Do you have an opinion of your own about the proper method? I welcome any suggestions, if they will better my results.”
“Er . . . no suggestions. I wouldn’t even know where to begin, honestly.” He stretched out one leg, brushing her skirt.
She swallowed hard, though she doubted that Thorn had done it intentionally. She was just reacting to his general nearness. She’d never shared a carriage with two such handsome gentlemen, and certainly not with a man who’d kissed her more than once.
As usual, her nervousness brought out her tendency to babble. “My method isn’t that complicated. Once the exhumation is complete, I mean to see what is left of the previous Duke of Greycourt’s remains to test. His Grace tells me his father was embalmed, and if so, that may be a problem because arsenic is sometimes used for embalming. But assuming I can find relevant samples that aren’t contaminated, I will first subject them to nitric acid and then combine that with zinc. The formula for that would be As2O3+6 Zn—”
“I beg you, Miss Norley, no formulas!” Greycourt said. “They’re meaningless to me and my brother, I assure you. And if Thorn tells you otherwise, he’s lying.”
“Grey is absolutely right,” Thorn said. “I only like chemistry to the extent that it improves the liquor and wine I drink. But that leads me to my next question. Why are you even sure that the poison used would be arsenic?”
“I’m going by the duke’s description of his father’s symptoms,” Olivia said. “They are that of an ague or cholera, which are also the symptoms of arsenic poisoning, and arsenicisone of the most common poisons. There’s a reason, after all, that the chemical is called ‘poudre de succession.’”
Beatrice glanced at her husband, who said, “Inheritance powder. That’s the French nickname for arsenic.”
“But to be precise,” Olivia said, “when we speak of the white arsenic used as a poison, we really mean arsenic trioxide.”
“Oh, by all means, let’s be precise,” Thorn said. “And speaking of precision, how will you do all these tests without a laboratory?”
“Your brother has been generous enough to create one for me,” Olivia said.
Beatrice patted Olivia’s hand. “We asked her for a list of what she would need to do her work. Then Grey bought all the necessary items and had them brought to the estate.”
“I’ll still have to formulate some items from their components,” Olivia added. “And I did bring a few items that would be hard to find anywhere.”
“Of course,” Greycourt said, “we had no idea how to set all the chemicals up to Miss Norley’s satisfaction, so at the moment they’re sitting in boxes in our old dairy. But the building should serve well enough for a laboratory.”
“Why not put it in the house?” Thorn said, his expression veiled. “God knows you have the room for it.”
“Miss Norley was concerned about having dangerous chemicals in our residence, where they might harm us or the furnishings.”
Olivia could tell Thorn found that suspicious, although she couldn’t imagine why. “Some of my chemicals are combustible. If they somehow ignited and spewed toxic fumes that hurt Beatrice’s baby, I would be quite upset.”
“You and I both,” Greycourt said. “I would hope that wouldn’t happen anyway, but you’re wise not to take any chances. It’s much appreciated. And I do think the dairy will suit your purposes.”
“You were able to fit enough shelves on the walls, weren’t you?” Olivia asked. “And a few tables?”
Greycourt smiled. “I made sure everything was done to your specifications. The rest is up to you.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
It took all of Olivia’s strength not to show how excited she was at the thought of having her very own laboratory, with the latest equipment and plenty of chemicals. She couldn’t wait to get there and set everything up.
“So,” Thorn said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, “I’m unfamiliar with the chemists you mentioned, but I assume they are well-known in scientific circles.”
“They are, indeed,” she said. “I brought their journal articles along so I could review them in the evenings. You’re welcome to do so yourself if you wish.”
