Our solution worked wonders.

  “It’s good to see you awake,” Hieronymus said.

  Marguerite blinked, her eyes slow to focus on the source of the unexpected voice. Once she realized who was speaking, a smile spread across her face.

  “What happened?” She muttered. “Oh, I don’t feel great.”

  “Take it easy there, Maggie. You came in contact with a mild paralytic that was strengthened by the herbs you take in your tea. We were able to diagnose the cause and create a treatment program, but you’ll need a few days for the potion to run its course.”

  “I helped make it,” Tiffany exclaimed. “I’m glad to see you awake. It’s working better than I expected.”

  “You have quite the talented healer there,” Maguire said.

  “It helps that she had my work to build off of,” Genevieve scoffed. “I have been devoting my waking hours to the improvement of human life.”

  “And tell me, Genevieve, does this extend beyond improving your own life or are you just starting with yourself?” I asked, letting loose the snark I'd been repressing since I arrived at the estate. The look of shock and horror on her face was worth it. Everyone else looked either shocked or amused, and Maguire watched me as if waiting to follow my lead.

  “Who do you think you are, making such an accusation?” She took a step closer to me in a move that others likely found intimidating in the past. I didn’t back down.

  “I’m the senior member of the Society of Jacks. I’m the one you call in when something bad happens, except this time I managed to get here before it happened.”

  “So you know what happened?” Elmer asked hopefully. He may have been a little standoffish at times, but he was also someone who got very protective of the people he cared about. According to the staff, he just needed time to warm up to people, and we hadn’t been around for long enough yet.

  “I don’t know all of the specifics, but I know you have a repeat issue of someone stealing other’s work and passing it off as their own that's only increased since the grand convention was announced. I know that there’s been a pretty consistent flow of information between certain people while they collaborate that may go beyond the typical collaboration. I know that the Mayfair name comes with expectations of excellence and supposedly a literal gift when it comes to alchemy. I know that often legacies like that can weigh heavily, especially when the name starts to dwindle and mix with other names. I know that the direct Mayfair line ended a few generations back and the world’s been watching to see which name will carry the line. I also know that you are part of one of those lines so I suspect that you are very invested in maintaining that the gift has gone to you.”

  “It is no bad thing to want your talent to be noticed. I have yet to hear anything that would put me in the wrong.”

  “You don’t have the gift, if it ever existed. You've been spotted copying off your colleagues’ work on more than one occasion, whether they realized it or not. You’re trying to come up with something that will earn you acclaim at the grand convention but you keep getting stuck, so you are stealing from others and my guess would be that your work went missing so you’d have an excuse for not being able to finish it.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “How dare you…”

  “Marguerite suspected and tried to warn me but the poison got to her first. It’s good you can follow a basic recipe, otherwise that plan could have gone very poorly.”

  “It was you?” Elmer snapped. “This whole time, you’ve been blaming me for your crimes.”

  “And everyone believed it, so don’t pretend you’re the innocent one.”

  “Claudia’s right,” Tiffany interjected. Genevieve’s attention snapped to her cousin, spearing her with a fearsome glare that Tiffany did her best to ignore. “The gift is gone, if it ever existed, and Gen’s been trying to hide it for years now. I tried to cover for her, but it’s gone too far.”

  “Do you have the proof needed to form a tribunal?” Hieronymus asked.

  “If she doesn’t, ask the servants,” I suggested. “They can fill in the missing pieces.”

  Genevieve snapped, launching herself at me with a wordless rage. I ducked the first swing, and Maguire caught her before she could recover enough to line up for a second.

  “Okay, that’s enough of that,” he said, trapping her arms behind her back. “I am assuming this manor has some sort of security who can take over from here?”

  “I will send someone to fetch them at once,” Hieronymus said.

  “No need,” Tiffany said. “Johnny poked his head in when the shouting started and he’s probably already in touch with security.”

  “Pretty sure James or Kirk are waiting in the wings in case they need to step in to stop a fight,” I added.

  “Let me go!” Genevieve roared, fighting against Maguire’s hold.

  “Some help would be appreciated,” he said through gritted teeth. The two men slipped through the side door and did their part to help restrain Genevieve until security arrived.

  Over the next few hours enough details were collected to create a solid case against Genevieve. Turns out she didn’t have near the knack for alchemy that she pretended to, so she supplemented her inadequacy with thievery and plagiarism. That could only get her so far, though, so she started getting creative.

  “I can assure you, we will not let this slide. Her membership in the Society will be revoked and there will be a thorough investigation to ensure all recognition is properly assigned,” Hieronymus said.

  “I have no doubt, and I hope that we can continue to have an amicable relationship moving forward,” I replied.

  “We have always considered the Jacks to be friends, now you and Maguire especially so. We have brought in extra security as well as some other associates to ensure the rest of your visit is less eventful, assuming you still wish to remain for the end of the week.”

  I looked at Maguire, who nodded.

  “While this has been unexpectedly interesting, I have learned a lot today and I look forward to learning more,” Maguire responded. “Though it may be best if Claudia and I assist with some of the security. We do have a knack for this sort of thing.”

  “Deal,” Marguerite said, nestled in her chair with a cup of hot cocoa. She had made the drink herself, using a mug specially designed to reveal any hidden ingredients, and with Johnny serving as her taste tester. Turns out, most poisons and toxins have no effect on him, but he’s very good at recognizing their flavor.

  I tried several times to get a straight answer out of him but he refused to give any hints as to how. He called it his trade secret.

  I eventually decided to shelve that mystery to figure out later. I had more important things on my plate.