There was a pregnant pause before Thorne finally spoke. "This is highly unusual, but since it is a private sale, there might be some room for negotiation. Do you have original letters, not copies? The museum will need to verify their authenticity."

She exhaled in relief. "Yes. I know you are a man of honor, Mr. Thorne, and this is a matter of the highest honor. He was wrongly branded a traitor and only officially exonerated upon Elizabeth's death forty-four years later. But ...