happened last night.”
Kyria could hardly dispute the logic of Reed’s words, so she merely sat down in the empty chair beside her sister, relieved that at least she did not have to sit next to Rafe. She glanced across the table, and Rafewinked at her. She could not keep a smile from touching her lips—and that in itself was annoying.
“Now, then,” Reed went on, “I assume, Kyria, that you already know the details of our visitor’s death and the discovery of the box, since you were there. So unless anyone has any further questions for Mr. McIntyre, I would like to move on to what I’ve found out about our mysterious visitor.”
“You know something?” Kyria asked, surprised.
“Not much,” Reed admitted. “I talked to the constable last night and this morning, but he was able to find out nothing more than that a dark-complexioned man reportedly got off the train in the village yesterday afternoon and asked directions to Broughton Park. Presumably he walked here. However, Mr. McIntyre and I went through the man’s pockets last night, and we came up with a few things.”
Reed opened an envelope and shook out some items onto the table. “We found a ticket stub for the train trip from London, as well as a receipt for a room at an inn in London and a ticket on a ship from Istanbul arriving three days ago in Southampton. Both the name on the ticket and the receipt match the name written on the calling cards in this card case.”
“You mean you know who he is?” Desmond asked, leaning forward with interest and adjusting his wire-rimmed spectacles.
“I am assuming that the name on the card and the ticket is in all likelihood that of the man who was carrying them, although, of course, I cannot be certain,” Reed said carefully.
“Oh, Reed, you sound just like a solicitor,” Kyria said impatiently. “Just tell us who he was.”
“The card says ‘Leonides Kousoulous,’” Reed said.
“He was Greek, then?” Thisbe asked.
“It would certainly fit with his coloring,” Reed admitted, and looked toward Rafe questioningly.
“It could have been Greek he spoke,” Rafe agreed. “I studied ancient Greek in school, but I understand that the modern language is somewhat different, and I have never heard a native speak it, certainly.”
Reed opened the gold card case and took out one of the calling cards, which he handed to his father. “It also says something underneath the name, as well as what looks like an address. I am afraid my Greek is a little rusty, too, but I thought you would be able to read it.”
The duke nodded as he perused the card. “Yes. It identifies him as a dealer in antiquities. But the address is in Constantinople.”
“Yes, and the departure point of the ship he took to England is Istanbul,” Reed reminded them. “Among the English-pound notes in his pockets were several coins which I believe to be Turkish.”
“Hmm. Interesting,” Broughton said, nodding thoughtfully. “Well, no surprise, I suppose, that an antiquities dealer was in possession of such a thing. Uncle Bellard believes, as I do, that it is of Byzantine origin.”
“Oh, yes.” Uncle Bellard bobbed his head happily, looking more than ever like a bird. He patted the two heavy tomes sitting on the table in front of him. “That rounded top is typical, as are the biblical engravings. I’m not an expert, but I do happen to have a few books about the later empire. I looked through them this morning after Broughton showed me the box, and I found a drawing or two.”
He opened the two books to the appropriate pages and began to pass them around the table. “They’re bothfrom the period A.D. 500 to A.D. 1000, and you can see that they are very similar to this box. One of them is ivory, with carnelian and turquoise set in, and the other is cloisonné.”
Everyone examined the drawings closely as they came around the table. Thisbe looked up after examining the page. “Yes, but what does our box look like? We
Kyria could hardly dispute the logic of Reed’s words, so she merely sat down in the empty chair beside her sister, relieved that at least she did not have to sit next to Rafe. She glanced across the table, and Rafewinked at her. She could not keep a smile from touching her lips—and that in itself was annoying.
“Now, then,” Reed went on, “I assume, Kyria, that you already know the details of our visitor’s death and the discovery of the box, since you were there. So unless anyone has any further questions for Mr. McIntyre, I would like to move on to what I’ve found out about our mysterious visitor.”
“You know something?” Kyria asked, surprised.
“Not much,” Reed admitted. “I talked to the constable last night and this morning, but he was able to find out nothing more than that a dark-complexioned man reportedly got off the train in the village yesterday afternoon and asked directions to Broughton Park. Presumably he walked here. However, Mr. McIntyre and I went through the man’s pockets last night, and we came up with a few things.”
Reed opened an envelope and shook out some items onto the table. “We found a ticket stub for the train trip from London, as well as a receipt for a room at an inn in London and a ticket on a ship from Istanbul arriving three days ago in Southampton. Both the name on the ticket and the receipt match the name written on the calling cards in this card case.”
“You mean you know who he is?” Desmond asked, leaning forward with interest and adjusting his wire-rimmed spectacles.
“I am assuming that the name on the card and the ticket is in all likelihood that of the man who was carrying them, although, of course, I cannot be certain,” Reed said carefully.
“Oh, Reed, you sound just like a solicitor,” Kyria said impatiently. “Just tell us who he was.”
“The card says ‘Leonides Kousoulous,’” Reed said.
“He was Greek, then?” Thisbe asked.
“It would certainly fit with his coloring,” Reed admitted, and looked toward Rafe questioningly.
“It could have been Greek he spoke,” Rafe agreed. “I studied ancient Greek in school, but I understand that the modern language is somewhat different, and I have never heard a native speak it, certainly.”
Reed opened the gold card case and took out one of the calling cards, which he handed to his father. “It also says something underneath the name, as well as what looks like an address. I am afraid my Greek is a little rusty, too, but I thought you would be able to read it.”
The duke nodded as he perused the card. “Yes. It identifies him as a dealer in antiquities. But the address is in Constantinople.”
“Yes, and the departure point of the ship he took to England is Istanbul,” Reed reminded them. “Among the English-pound notes in his pockets were several coins which I believe to be Turkish.”
“Hmm. Interesting,” Broughton said, nodding thoughtfully. “Well, no surprise, I suppose, that an antiquities dealer was in possession of such a thing. Uncle Bellard believes, as I do, that it is of Byzantine origin.”
“Oh, yes.” Uncle Bellard bobbed his head happily, looking more than ever like a bird. He patted the two heavy tomes sitting on the table in front of him. “That rounded top is typical, as are the biblical engravings. I’m not an expert, but I do happen to have a few books about the later empire. I looked through them this morning after Broughton showed me the box, and I found a drawing or two.”
He opened the two books to the appropriate pages and began to pass them around the table. “They’re bothfrom the period A.D. 500 to A.D. 1000, and you can see that they are very similar to this box. One of them is ivory, with carnelian and turquoise set in, and the other is cloisonné.”
Everyone examined the drawings closely as they came around the table. Thisbe looked up after examining the page. “Yes, but what does our box look like? We
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