Andrea Penrose - The Cocoa Conspiracy

So, the minister knew about Saybrook’s sister. It wasn’t overly surprising, given that Grentham’s job was to know all the sordid secrets of the ton . Clearly the subject had been discussed between the two of them before, but the earl had not seen fit to tell her of it. Too personal? Arianna tried not to think of the other female mentioned by the minister. Given her own conflicted musings on independence, she could hardly complain.

“Not hungry?” asked Henning, eyeing the pile of crumbs on her plate with wry amusement. “If ye have lost yer appetite, then things must be even more serious than I thought. Are there any new discoveries ye haven’t told me about?”

“N-no. I’m merely trying to digest all that has happened. Like you, I have no illusions as to the dangers of being drawn into Grentham’s world. But Sandro is, as you know, not intimidated by a challenge. Quite the contrary, in fact.”

“Ye are getting to understand him rather well,” murmured the surgeon.

Am I? Arianna was not quite so sanguine, but the earl’s return forestalled any further discussion of her husband’s inner workings.

“So, did the rat bite?” inquired Henning.

“Indeed, it appears that he swallowed the bait in one gulp.” Saybrook handed the book to Arianna. “But perhaps you should check more carefully, just to be sure.”

She quickly carried it to the escritoire, and opened the back cover. “Yes,” she said, running a magnifying glass along the inside edge of the binding. “It’s been reglued, and the bulge is definitely gone.”

“Then I think we can safely assume that mischief and mayhem is still afoot,” said the surgeon.

“You make it sound too poetically pretty,” groused Saybrook. “Rather call it treason and terror.”

Ugly words, thought Arianna. Ugly deeds .

“The inquest is to take place at noon,” Saybrook informed them. “There’s no need for you to attend, Baz. I think we can trust Grentham to keep his word about arranging the verdict. The announcement of death by unknown assailant will keep my neck intact for a bit longer.”

“Only because it suits the bastard’s purpose to have you free to do his dirty work,” replied Henning.

“We offered,” Arianna pointed out. “Or, more precisely, I offered.”

The surgeon waggled a brow. “Bored with the life of an indolent aristocrat, are ye now, lassie?”

She smiled. “A little, I suppose. Not that I would have chosen to have Sandro shot at and Mellon enmeshed in this tangle of treachery.”

“Oh, our laddie will have it all sorted in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.” Henning allowed a last twitch of cynical mirth before turning serious. “Have you given any more thought to the letter you deciphered?”

Saybrook poured himself a cup of tea. “I’ve been mulling over the part that says, ‘ I’ve been appointed to the English delegation and our contact in Sx is also in place .’ At flush blush, the letters ‘SX’ would seem to mean the Kingdom of Saxony, whose ruler is currently being held a virtual prisoner by the Russian Tsar,” he replied. “But I have a feeling that nothing is going to be as it seems in this affair.”

“I don’t understand—how can the Tsar hold a fellow ruler prisoner?” inquired Arianna.

“Because nobody is stepping up to give him a good kick in the arse,” quipped Henning.

“Russia wants to remake the Baltic region,” explained her husband. “The Tsar wishes to create new borders for Poland, and the tiny Kingdom of Saxony is standing in his way. So its king is enjoying the Tsar’s hospitality for the moment. It’s all very polite, of course, but let’s just say that any decision to leave would prove awkward.”

Arianna made a face. “I shall need to assemble a reference library in order to keep all the rivalries and alliances straight.”

“Ye have another week to gain firsthand knowledge of all the petty quarrels and hatreds simmering on the Continent,” said Henning with a cynical snort. “But of course, there will be plenty more to learn of, once you reach Vienna.”

“I suppose that I might as well start with Rochemont,” she mused. “The Aggrieved Adonis will likely want a good deal of sympathy for the injury to his perfect looks.”

Henning tossed back another dram of whisky—his fourth—and rose. “Seeing as you’ve no further need of me at present, I’ll be heading back to London. I have patients with real ills to treat.” His hands flexed, setting off a sharp cracking of his knuckles. “And arrangements to make for doing some digging up north.”

“Do be careful how you slide your spade into the auld sod,” cautioned the earl. “We don’t want Kydd—”

“To feel that someone is starting work on his grave?” suggested Henning. “Yer pipes keep whistling the same tune, laddie. I understand the need for secrecy.”

“It can’t be repeated too often,” said the earl.

“The person I have in mind for the job can be trusted.”

Saybrook seemed satisfied with the surgeon’s answer.

“I’ll send word for our carriage to be made ready,” she said. “Along with a basket of food for the journey.” She eyed the empty glass. “And another bottle of the marquess’s best malt.”

“You’ll knock off all my rough edges with such luxuries, Lady S,” said the surgeon with a sour grin. “I fear I’ll turn quishy as boiled oats.”

“I don’t think there’s any danger of your Highland flint going soft,” she replied.

“None of us can afford to lose our edge,” said Saybrook, his eyes turning opaque. “Or let down our guard for an instant. I suspect the coming months are going to test our mettle in ways we can’t yet imagine.”

Butter for pan

¼ cup pepitas (hulled toasted pumpkin seeds)

1⅓ cups granulated sugar

6 tablespoons water

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon mild chili powder (or to taste)

1 inch-long piece cinnamon stick

2 whole black peppercorns

½ star anise

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

4 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with nonstick liner, buttered parchment or waxed paper, spread pepitas close together in a single layer.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup sugar and 6 tablespoons water. Bring to a simmer, stirring only until sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook, tilting pan occasionally to distribute heat evenly, until a caramel of a deep amber color forms, about 15 minutes.

3. Working quickly (before caramel cools and hardens), pour half the hot caramel into a 9-inch loaf pan, tilting pan to coat bottom and a bit of the sides. Pour remaining caramel over pepitas, using an offset spatula to help spread caramel if necessary. Let both pans cool completely. When pepita praline is cool, break into 2-inch pieces.

4. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine milk, cream, chili powder, cinnamon, peppercorns and star anise. Bring to a simmer over high heat; reduce to medium and simmer 5 minutes. Let stand, off heat, 15 minutes. Return to a simmer, turn off heat and whisk in chocolate until smooth.

5. In a bowl, whisk eggs, remaining ⅓ cup sugar and the salt together. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot chocolate mixture into eggs until fully combined. Pour custard through a fine sieve into caramel-coated loaf pan. Place loaf pan in a deep roasting pan. Add 2 inches hot tap water to roasting pan. Cover roasting pan tightly with foil; prick foil all over with a fork.