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Congress. If I need a reference book anywhere in the world, she knows how to get it. And every so often she invites me over to dig in the dirt of her magnificent garden.”
    I’d heard Kevin talk of Thea Stavros. With her snow-white hair, I would have guessed her age to be late fifties or early sixties, except that her fine-boned face, as delicate as porcelain, was unlined and youthful looking. The teal suit was old-fashioned, but it had the look of couture, with a low-cut neckline that showed off a glittering crystal-and-gold webbed necklace.
    Thea smiled at the mention of her garden and dropped Kevin’s arm to shake hands with Jack and me. “My garden is a never-ending work in progress,” she said. “I’m always begging friends to help and Kevin is kind enough to oblige.”
    â€œYour necklace is lovely,” I said. “Is it antique?”
    She fingered it. “I wish. It’s a knockoff, though it is Swarovski crystal. Austrian, in honor of tonight.” She added in a conspiratorial whisper, “Don’t tell. I’m hoping everyone thinks it’s diamonds.”
    We laughed, and Kevin said, “We’ll keep your secret, Thea.”
    She gave him a sly look. “Speaking of secrets, you’ve got one, haven’t you?”
    â€œI’m in the business of keeping secrets,” he said with a bland smile. “I’ve got loads of them.”
    Thea wagged a finger. “You know what I’m talking about. Your secret. The new project you’re working on. By the way, the latest bundle of documents you ordered is waiting for you on the hall bookshelf outside your study room.”
    â€œThanks. I’ll come by the library for it tomorrow.”
    â€œAre you writing another book?” she asked. “One hears rumors, you know.”
    â€œNever listen to rumors,” Kevin said with flat finality. “Half the time they’re wrong.”
    Thea ignored the rebuff. “Based on the information you’ve been requesting, it’s obviously something to do with gardening in colonial America. A history book would be a real departure for you, my dear.”
    â€œI’m sorry, but I can’t talk about it.”
    â€œOh, come on, you’re among friends. No one here is going to say anything, are we?”
    In the awkward silence that followed, Jack’s face was politely blank and I pasted on a smile.
    Finally Kevin said, “Please keep this under your hats. I honestly don’t want word to get out . . . my agent is still working out a few things with the publisher. But you’re right, Thea. It is a history book, a botanical history on gardening and agriculture in colonial America.” He looked at her over the top of his glasses. “And that’s all I can say.”
    â€œWell, if you’re planning to use illustrations, you will come to me for help, won’t you?”
    â€œOf course,” he said, adding to Jack and me, “I forgot to mention that Thea is the leading historical scholar in the country on American botanical prints. She also has a fabulous private collection in her home that could give a few museums a run for their money.”
    Thea waved a hand and said with a rueful smile, “Not all of them were considered rare or antique when I acquired them. By the way, Kevin, you must peek into the ambassador’s private study. He has two original hand-colored botanicals from the Hortus Eystettensis. They must be worth a fortune since the colored plates are so rare. I’d give anything to own something like that.”
    â€œWhat is the Hortus Eystettensis ?” I asked.
    Thea’s hand fluttered to her necklace. “An extremely famous book of botanical illustrations from 1613. The name is Latin for ‘Garden of Eichstätt,’ and it’s a massive compilation of flowers from all over the world that were in a very beautiful garden in Germany belonging to the