She needed to stop thinking about Gray, even as she wondered if Mr. Fairchild might know of a better remedy for malaria than quinine. If he did, she would certainly find a way to communicate the information to Gray, but for now she focused her entire attention on the explorer. Not many people got a chance like this, and she intended to memorize every moment and not spare another thought for Gray Delacroix.

She followed Mr. Fairchild to a bench in the herb garden. He set a leather satchel on the grass and turned to her with a pleasant smile.

“I understand you are acquainted with Gray Delacroix,” he began.

She shot to her feet. “No. I mean yes, but I no longer have any association with him. So if you’re hoping I’ll spy on him, that’s not—”

“I don’t need a spy,” he said, looking a little appalled at her suggestion. “I just need a favor.”

Oh dear, she’d just horribly offended this nice man. Confusion riddled his handsome face, and he looked pale and thin enough that a stiff wind might carry him away. She sat back down, trying to calm the beating of her heart.

“I don’t think I can help you. Not if the favor has anything to do with Gray Delacroix.”

Mr. Fairchild opened his satchel and retrieved a wooden case about the size of a cigar box. He opened the lid to reveal a dozen glass vials and offered her one. “These vials are filled with different strains of rice one of our agents collected in Japan. We estimate that there are thousands of varieties of rice, and perhaps a few hundred that are suitable for human consumption.”

Curiosity made it impossible to resist leaning over to inspect the vials, and she immediately spotted the differences among the grains. Rice was a cereal grass, but having come from Kansas, she had no experience with it.

“I understand Delacroix is heading to Madagascar,” Mr. Fairchild said.

Her head shot up. “He is?”

Disappointment crashed down on her at Mr. Fairchild’s nod. It meant Gray wasn’t going to stay in America after all. His dream of settling down and starting a family was being abandoned if he planned to head to the other side of the world. How long would it take to sail to Madagascar and back? Months? Years? She was only certain that she must have wounded him more than she knew for him to take such drastic action. It was hard to breathe at the news.

“Madagascar has a unique environment,” Mr. Fairchild continued. “Its isolation from the rest of Africa means they have plants and animal species that are found nowhere else on earth. Rice is a mainstay of their diet. I suspect that the uniqueness of the island has caused the rice to grow and adapt in unique ways. I want to know more.”