Chapter Nineteen
E dith passed a dreadful night and only started feeling somewhat normal again in the wee hours of the morning. She bade Mary to retire, but the girl would not leave her mistress. The maid was snoring softly from her place on the only chair in the room when a tentative knock came at the bedchamber door.
Louisa peeked into the room. “Good morning!”
Edith held a finger up to her lips and shook her head, but it was too late. Mary was already awake.
“Oh, my lady! Excuse my falling asleep in your bedchamber.”
“Not at all, Mary. Hurry along to your bed. I appreciate your sitting with me last night.”
The maid looked ready to drop, but Mary shook her head and replied, “I can’t leave you, my lady.”
“I’ve got Louisa to look after me. Hurry along now. Shoo!”
The maid nodded tiredly and exited the room.
“I’m to wait on you?” Louisa raised a brow.
She merely replied, “You look quite recovered from your stomach distress.”
“I didn’t eat as much as you did.” Louisa frowned. “Shall I send for a breakfast tray?”
The bright sunlight pouring into her bedchamber contradicted the idea that breakfast was still being served. “Perhaps some tea and toast would not go amiss.”
Louisa curtsied with a roll of her eyes. “I will return in a moment, my lady.”
When Louisa had gone, Edith gingerly sat up straighter in the bed. She did feel almost recovered, and her stomach grumbled. “I’m not so sure we should eat much,” she said aloud, patting her abdomen.
Louisa returned to the bedchamber with an armful of news sheets. “Your tray will be along directly. You should see the articles about the card party. There is one in every newspaper.”
Edith remembered she had been determined to read the society pages.
Louisa placed the stack of newspapers beside Edith on the bed. Edith picked up one and turned to the gossip pages. “Oh my! Even Lady Sandhurst was violently ill after eating her supper.”
“That is good for her reputation,” Louisa replied with a grimace. “Could you imagine poisoning all your guests and coming out unscathed? That would be an even greater scandal.”
Despite her blunt way of speaking, Louisa did have a valid point. “Do you know how my father fares this morning?”
“According to one of the kitchen maids, his lordship ate very little of the supper and is feeling quite recovered.” Before Edith could reply, Louisa added, “I asked one of the footmen to inform him that you are feeling much better.”
That was close enough to the truth. Putting down the newspaper she was reading, Edith picked up another one. “ The Times is blaming Lady Sandhurst’s cook. How unkind. We don’t know who might have tainted the food.”
Louisa shrugged. “Of course the cook will be blamed. As Lady Sandhurst is also ill, she is above suspicion.”
Edith wondered how Alicia and her brother fared. After she finished eating and reading the papers, she would send a note to Miss Tilford to inquire after her and the baron’s health.
“Oh dear.” Louisa handed a news sheet to Edith. “You will want to see this.”
Edith scanned the gossip section.
Lord E and Lady S appeared quite friendly at a card party last evening before everyone’s stomachs began erupting. If not for the onset of widespread illness, what other alliances might have been forged at Lady S’s card party?
“A lesson in how to use many words to say very little.” She passed the paper back to Louisa and picked up another. “Oh my! Our most recent missing veteran has made the papers.”
She read the article aloud to Louisa. The registry office was mentioned, and there was a quote from Diana assuring the veteran’s family that the registry owners and employees would do everything in their power to help find Seaman Thomas Wilson. Neither Lord Ashford nor Lord Harbury were named in the story.
There was a knock at her bedchamber door.
“Enter!”
A maid with a tray appeared, crossed to the bed, and settled the tray on Edith’s lap.
“Is there anything else, my lady? I must return downstairs and reassure your father that you are well.”
“Please do so. I need nothing further.”
Once the maid had departed, Edith poured a cup of tea. She wasn’t sure her stomach could handle milk or sugar. She also opted for dry toast rather than add butter and marmalade.
Louisa let out a long sigh. “Can you remember an instance when so many people got sick at an event?”
Mouth full of toast, Edith shook her head. She finished chewing the toast, swallowed, and asked, “Did you see any other articles about the missing veteran?”
“Yes, I did.” Louisa sorted through the papers and opened a copy of The Morning Chronicle . “There is a small article just here that mentions the veteran and the Bow Street Runners. It doesn’t name Diana, Ashford, or Lord Harbury in the article.”
“The other disappearances will come out.” She took a sip of tea.
Louisa nodded. “And we have no idea if there have been more.”
“Heavens! That would be horrible. If we don’t hear anything from Ashford or Lord Harbury soon, we will have to speak with Charlotte.” She paused. “It would be improper for me to write to Lord Harbury, and I wouldn’t want to mention the other disappearances to Alicia. It might upset her.”
Edith also couldn’t be assured the girl would not tell others about the missing veterans. She put her teacup on the tray and nodded to Louisa.
“Yes, my lady.” Louisa moved the tray to a side table.
She wrinkled her nose at her friend. “I shall write a short note to Alicia to ask how she and her brother are feeling today.”
Edith threw back the covers and made to stand. She experienced an uncomfortable feeling in the back of her throat as she sat on the edge of the bed and took several deep breaths.
Louisa motioned for her friend to return to her place under the covers and then deposited several pillows behind Edith. “You read your papers. I will return to my bedchamber and compose a letter to Miss Tilford.”
“Very well.” She sighed. It was a novel experience having Louisa fuss over her.
Louisa patted Edith’s arm awkwardly. “Stay in bed. I shall return as soon as I’ve dispatched my letter.”
* * * * *
A shford’s butler directed Nathaniel to his employer’s study. Cecil was already seated on one of the leather armchairs in front of Ashford’s desk.
His host stood up. “Come in, Nathaniel! Do you require refreshment?”
“No, thank you.” He took a seat on the other leather chair. “How is Charlotte and the child?”
Cecil blinked several times. “A child? You didn’t tell me!”
“To be honest, Cecil, I wasn’t sure you would be interested.” Ashford shrugged.
Cecil scowled. “Of course, I’m interested. I wish only the best for you and Charlotte, and congratulations on soon becoming a father.”
“Thank you, Cecil.” Ashford turned his attention to Nathaniel as he sat back down. “How are you feeling today? And Alicia? Weren’t you both at Lady Sandhurst’s card party last evening?”
“I didn’t eat anything. Unfortunately, Alicia did and was sick all night. My sister told me before I left the house that she is feeling more herself.”
“If Diana hadn’t been so exhausted from attending nearly every ton event in London, she would have attended the card party as well.” Ashford added, “Charlotte is concerned about Lady Edith and Lady Louisa’s health.”
He replied, “Lady Louisa sent a missive this morning to Alicia, asking after her health and assuring my sister that she and Lady Edith were no longer ill.”
“What say you, Cecil?” Ashford sat back in his chair. “Any ideas about who tampered with Lady Sandhurst’s supper?”
Cecil was silent for a moment. “My contacts tell me the lady was indeed violently ill, as the papers stated. I imagine if Lady Sandhurst interfered with the food, she would have eaten as little of it as possible.”
“That stands to reason,” Ashford replied.
He cleared his throat. “Shall we address the situation with our missing veterans? I don’t believe Lord Norwich is involved in the disappearances. Cecil, I did ask Bones if he could investigate Lord Norwich’s butler.”
The viscount replied, “Bones spoke with the earl’s upper and lower servants, and they have nothing but wonderful things to say about the butler. They believe he is a good, honest man.”
Nathaniel remembered their trip to St. Giles. “Did Cecil tell you there are rumors that a female is behind the disappearance of our veterans?”
For the next several minutes, Cecil recounted their visit to the slum and his meeting with Quinn. As for himself, he told the men about his interview with Seaman Thomas Wilson’s wife. “Lord Sidmouth was to be the employer of our latest missing veteran.”
“Lord Sidmouth?” Cecil shook his head. “I’ve never found a link between the Home Secretary and the RA, although I’ve tried. He doesn’t believe my brother’s murder was more than a botched robbery.”
He whistled. “You think the RA has connections that high in government?”
Cecil nodded. “I do. They are left almost entirely to their own devices. If we speak with the Home Secretary directly, and he is involved in some fashion, he will know about our inquiries. Bones can work his wiles on the man’s housemaids while I make more discreet inquiries.”
“Lady Edith was most helpful when I interviewed Mrs. Wilson. If we need to speak to other women during our inquiries, the lady she would be a great asset.”
“I agree.” Ashford nodded.
Cecil frowned. “You enlisted the assistance of Lady Edith during an interview?”
“She already knew about the disappearance of the other two veterans. The lady is intelligent and has good instincts when dealing with others.” He stopped himself from saying more to support Edith. Her reputation should stand on its own.
The viscount pressed, “And will she be discreet?”
Ashford let out a breath. “She has told Charlotte and Lady Louisa about the disappearances. That was to be expected. Charlotte is rather put out that I didn’t share the information with her before Edith did.”
Cecil appeared speechless.
“It’s what you do, Cecil. You confide in your spouse.”
The viscount didn’t look convinced.
Ashford continued, “I also spoke with Diana, who is also not best pleased about not knowing what was going on from the start.”
“Have you discovered any evidence to support the rumors that a woman is behind the disappearances?” he asked Cecil.
The other man shook his head. “Not as of yet.”
“Lady Sandhurst is the godmother of the deceased Lt Cooper. I came across that information via my sister. I have only a passing acquaintance with the lady and was surprised to be invited to her card party.”
Cecil replied, “If Lord Norwich dislikes you as much as you believe, it is doubtful Lady Sandhurst invited you to the party last night without an ulterior motive.”
He’d thought much the same himself. “The lady appears enamored of Lady Edith’s father, but I see no connection to warrant her inviting me and Alicia into her home. Lord Norwich is in no condition to assist us with our inquiries, but perhaps Lady Sandhurst can help. I’ll send a missive to inquire whether the lady has recovered from her illness and is accepting visitors.”
Nathaniel then reminded his friends that Black Jack the Bow Street Runner was an ally if they needed him. He also informed them he planned to see a former colleague who had worked with several press gangs.
“Press gangs are as good a theory as any,” Ashford commented.
Cecil asked, “And you closed the registry for a fortnight?”
Ashford nodded. “I think we better not chance another man going missing. Diana took down the match listings from the front windows and put up a notice that the office will be closed for the time being.”
Cecil made a rude noise.
“It doesn’t mean the RA has shut us down forever,” Ashford replied. “We don’t want to put any more of our veterans in danger of being kidnapped.”
Nathaniel rose to his feet. “If there’s nothing else, my next order of business will be to seek an appointment with Lady Sandhurst.”
Ashford also stood up. “Charlotte wants me to stop hovering over her, so I will go to the registry office and check on Porter and Taylor. Diana can visit Mrs. Stafford.”
“Mr. Bones is roaming London, hoping to pick up any intelligence on our missing veterans.” Cecil let out a long breath. “Are you going to tell your employees that we now have three missing veterans?”
Ashford nodded. “They deserve to know what is going on. I trust them, after all.”