“I should have been able to tell you to eye color of your ancestor’s bricklayer,” Palamedes sighs. But that’s just his own vanity talking, and he knows it. He offers Darlington a rueful smile. “But I’m glad it was interesting enough. And I meant it—this has been a useful exercise, if not the one I was expecting. I would very much like to try again once I’ve figured out a work-around.”

He finishes with his notes and folds up the piece of paper, tucking it in his pocket. “In any case, enough psychometric show-and-tell. This house is absolutely remarkable.”