Page 68 of How Not to Marry a Duke

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Many of you already know me. If you are new to the group”—his eyes rested briefly on Adeline— “my name is Mr. Morton, and I will be dissecting a human male for you today.” Once he had the group’s attention, Morton drew back the sheet to reveal a male model, leaving a portion of the sheet over the model’s nether parts in consideration to the ladies in the room.

The model was painted to appear extremely lifelike. Its brown eyes were open, and the artist had paid meticulous attention to each facial feature; its eyebrows, eyelashes, nostrils, lips, and earlobes all were rendered in vivid detail. The muscles of its chest and arms were clearly delineated, and a line, which looked like an incision, ran down the center of its breastbone.

Morton waved his arm at the model. “This specimen is my male model, Paul. As you can observe, his anatomy is scientifically accurate. Paul is made of a mixture of wax from bees and other insects; other inferior models are made of wood, ivory, and papier–mâché. Now, if you feel like my model is staring at you, it’s because he has the preserved eyes of a pig.”

Adeline wrinkled her nose. She’d left Henry safely behind in the country under the care of one of the farmers. She’d always believed her pig’s eyes were expressive. She disliked the thought of an artist using a real animal’s eyes, specifically a pig’s.

Morton pointed to the jars his assistants had carried into the room. “I also brought along examples of animal anatomy that I will discuss at the end of my lecture. I will pass the jars out then as well.”

From the “incision,” Morton proceeded to remove two sides of the chest to reveal the organs beneath. The model was cleverly made—the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, all made of painted wax, were visible. When he removed the organs and held them up for the audience to have a better look, Adeline leaned forward in her chair, eager to see.

“Interesting, isn’t it?” Warwick whispered in her ear.

Adeline nodded, not wanting to look away or miss a word of the presentation.

Morton held up a wax heart. “The heart is comprised of four distinct chambers and pumps blood to the entire body, including the brain.” One of his assistants raised a glass container. “This is an ox’s heart,” Morton said.

The assistant walked around with the specimen so everyone could see. It was a well-preserved heart, and Adeline spotted the chambers. Some of the members turned away, including Mr. Updike and Miss Wagner.

“Many believe the brain is the most important organ, but Egyptians believed it was the heart,” Morton continued. “They inserted a hook into the corpse’s nose to break up the brain, then removed the pieces and discarded them. But they treated the heart with value and placed it in a special urn for the afterlife. Without it, the deceased would be in danger of not ascending to the afterlife.”

The anatomist’s presentation lasted for the rest of the hour. When he was finished, Adeline turned to Warwick. “Thank you for bringing me. I enjoyed the presentation.”

“I doubt our afternoon together will end up in the Scandal Sheet. These scientific gatherings never do.”

She brought a hand up to stifle a laugh. “But a dissected model is much more interesting than a garden party. Don’t you agree, Your Grace?”

His grin made her stomach swirl. “You are an oddity, Lady Adeline. I have never met a woman who would think that, let alone speak it aloud.”

She cocked her head to the side. “An oddity? That makes me sound unpleasant.”

He reached out, gently clutching her fingers. He looked down at her, something akin to a striking possessiveness flaring in his green eyes. “To the contrary. It makes you priceless. A shining, polished diamond among a pile of carbon.”

She gasped as a tremor unfurled through her. It was the highest regard coming from him.

Priceless.

Was that how he saw her? No one before had gifted her with such a compliment. Not even her father.

A tangle of alarm and emotion swelled in her chest. He’d already disarmed her with a kiss. Then with an anatomist’s presentation. Now, Adeline wholeheartedly agreed with the Egyptians. The heart was the most valuable and dangerous organ of all.

Chapter Twelve

After Warwick dropped Adeline off at his godmother’s home, he headed to a coffeehouse in the Strand. It was part of his normal routine to have coffee, read the Morning Post and the Times, and talk politics with jobbers from the London Stock Exchange, merchants, and aristocrats who had an interest in the Exchange or politics or both. Sometimes Drake joined him after they’d spent an afternoon boxing.

The main salon of the coffeehouse was busy today. He’d barely made it to a table when a man called out his name.

“Warwick!”

He turned to see Matthew Jacobson, a member of the scientific group. Jacobson was an inventor who dabbled with mechanical devices, and he shared common interests with Warwick. He’d been absent from today’s presentation.

Jacobson’s right eye was black, and his left arm was in a sling. Either the man lost heavily at Gentleman Jackson’s, or he’d been attacked by footpads.

“What the hell happened to you?” Warwick asked.

Jacobson’s gaze darted around the room as if he expected an enemy to leap out at any moment. “May we speak in private?”

Warwick motioned to a table in the corner of the coffeehouse. Jacobson sat across from him and clenched the fist of his good hand on the table. “I’m in trouble.”