Chapter Twenty-Seven
E dith smiled all the way home to Hanover Square.
“You looked pleased with yourself.” Louisa settled back against the squabs with a yawn.
“It is nice to be taken seriously.” She sobered. “My father must have read about the murder, and that is why the papers are locked away in his study.”
“I’m sure he is merely trying to protect you.”
“I was going to hear about the murder eventually.” She shook her head.
“True.”
When they reached the townhouse, the butler informed Edith her father was in his study.
“I’ll take myself off upstairs.” Louisa proceeded to do just that.
Edith knocked at the door of the study.
“Come!”
She entered the room and shut the door behind her. Her father was seated at his desk, an open book in front of him.
“Edith! How has your day been?” He closed his book.
She took a seat and said, “Despite your hiding the newspapers, I heard about the murder.”
Her father let out a long breath. “I didn’t want to worry you.”
“I worry for you . It was Lady Sandhurst’s maid who was killed. Lord Wycliffe told me one of the lady’s footmen was found dead in the Thames.”
“The runners are calling the servant’s death a suicide.” Her father paused. “Lord Wycliffe felt the need to speak about such unsavory topics in front of a lady?”
“As did Lord Harbury. The murder might be related to our missing veterans.”
Her father lowered his brows. “I don’t see how. Neither Lady Sandhurst nor anyone in her household has a connection to the registry office.”
Edith would not argue with her father. Other than the scullery maid and footman, there was no way to know if any of the other members of the lady’s household were involved in recent events. Or with the RA.
She would try a different tack. “How is Lady Sandhurst? Have you spoken with her?”
He nodded. “She is quite shaken up by recent events and may leave for the countryside with her daughter’s family.”
“I’m sorry, Father.” And she was. The poor woman had been exposed to some dreadful circumstances recently.
“Lady Sandhurst must do what she feels is right. Her daughter has two young children, and the murder has upset the family.”
She didn’t believe Lady Sandhurst was involved in the disappearance of their veterans. The lady would not be a party to recent events willingly. The tainted supper, murder of her maid, and untimely death of her footman had brought scandal to her door.
Louisa was right when she said everything was getting too convoluted. The thought gave her pause.
“Father, will you be in this evening?”
“I will,” he replied gloomily.
She supposed he was not pleased to leave Lady Sandhurst to her own devices. The fact that he was at home led Edith to believe the lady might be trying to protect his reputation.
Edith thought of something that might make her father smile. “Did I tell you that Charlotte is with child? She and Ashford are departing for the country tomorrow morning for her confinement.”
He did smile for a moment. “That is wonderful to hear, my dear. Do send my best wishes to the couple when next you write to your friend.”
“I will, Father. Now may I look at the news sheets?”
Her father pointed to a mound of newspapers on the corner of his large mahogany desk. “Those are today’s papers.”
Edith picked up the stack and left the room. When she entered her bedchamber, she dropped the papers onto her bed.
A thought had sprung to mind when she was in her father’s study. All of the chaos that was going on may not have a meaning. Perhaps certain events had occurred to distract them from the primary target: the missing veterans.
What if the registry wasn’t the target? What if the missing veterans were? What was so important about those specific veterans?
She sat on her bed and looked through the papers, hoping to find a kernel of something to share with Lord Harbury. He valued her assistance, and she didn’t want to disappoint him.
It had nothing to do with how lovely it had been to walk with him today.
* * * * *
W hen Nathaniel returned home, he found his sister in the music room, practicing her scales.
“Lady Edith has inspired me to become more proficient on the pianoforte,” she told him with a grin.
“As an addition to your lovely singing voice? Society, take care!” He eased himself onto a stuffed chair and told her about his plan for a supper party.
“A party. How wonderful!” Alicia clapped her hands.
“I know it is short notice. Mind you, it will be a small party as Lord and Lady Ashford are leaving for the countryside in the morning.”
Alicia sighed. “I will miss Charlotte. She is such a sweet person. I am going to make a gift for the baby. Perhaps a christening gown.”
He didn’t comment, knowing his sister was not particularly skilled at needlework.
A discreet knock at the door heralded the arrival of Binns. “Are you at home for callers, my lord? There is a Lady Diana Grey that wishes to speak with you.
“Lady Diana? Do send her in.” He glanced at Alicia, who looked as surprised as he felt by the announcement.
“Yes, my lord.”
Nathaniel rose to his feet when the lady entered the music room.
“I hope I haven’t come at an inconvenient time?” Diana asked as she took a seat on a nearby settee. “I have something important to discuss with you, Lord Harbury.”
“Nathaniel?” Alicia asked.
Diana answered before he could speak, “Please stay, Miss Tilford. You can be our chaperone, as it were.”
“Refreshment, Lady Diana?” his sister asked, moving from the pianoforte bench to sit on a stuffed chair near the other lady.
“No, thank you. I am leaving Town for a short while to see Charlotte settled at the estate in Kent.” She smiled. “Ashford would like me to believe it was my idea, so I will let him think he manipulated me into going. He wants Charlotte and myself safe and well away from the investigation of our missing veterans. Not to mention the murder of Lady Sandhurst’s scullery maid.”
He nodded in reply. “Ashford did express to me a desire to keep you both clear of the investigation.”
“Nathaniel, we have been acquainted for several years. You may have often been away at sea, but we have come to know each other a bit through your friendship with my brother, have we not?”
He nodded. “I would agree, my lady.”
Lady Diana tilted her head and stared at him intently. “Before I leave London, I wanted to give you some advice: Stop feeling sorry for yourself.”
“Pardon?” He blinked.
“You must not feel guilty for the death of Lt. Cooper and the men on the HMS St. George .”
“Lady Diana, I don’t think-”
She held up a staying hand. “My fiancé died during the war. You did not. Show your regard for all the men who didn’t come home by living your life to the fullest. By grasping happiness.” She jumped to her feet, her eyes tearing up. “Forgive yourself, Nathaniel! The men you served with wouldn’t want you to waste your days in regret for events you cannot change. You are alive. Start living!”
And with those words, she ran from the room.
There was a short silence.
“I’ll make sure Lady Diana is well,” Alicia said as she stood up and exited the music room.
He sat there for a moment in shock. His sister returned momentarily, visibly subdued.
“Lady Diana is returning to Ashford’s townhouse across the square. Her maid is with her and assured me she will look after her mistress.” She retook her seat on the settee. “You look anxious. Can I help?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“She’s right, you know. It’s not your fault, not any of it. Let the guilt go, Nathaniel. You are a good man. You deserve a good life.”
He was silent for a few moments, listening to the bustle of servants in the corridor outside the music room, the sound of his agitated breathing. There had been a few survivors from the HMS St. George wreck. He wondered how those men lived with having survived. Did they feel guilty? Or ashamed for having escaped death?
He gave his sister a weak smile. His mind turned to the upcoming dinner for his friends as a way to distract himself from his own troubles. “You and Cook will be able to manage the supper?”
Alicia sighed as she rose to her feet but let the subject of his melancholia go. “Cook is more than capable. I shall go and consult with her on the menu. How lovely! We haven’t had guests in an age!”
After Alicia left the room, he wandered out into the corridor. Was he hungry? Thirsty? Not really.
So much had occurred in the last two days that he wasn’t concentrating on the missing men as much as he should be. There were too many distractions. And he had to think of a way to get on those hulks in Woolwich.
Nathaniel mounted the stairs to his bedchamber. He settled on his bed and picked up a book from the bedside table. Sometimes, not concentrating on a problem brought him the solution. He opened the book and began to read, soon nodding off.
He was awakened by the dressing gong, surprised to feel so rested. He didn’t know the last time he’d napped in the middle of the day. He stood up and stretched, his valet entering the bedchamber soon after.
The missing veterans, the murder, and the need to search the hulks in Woolwich were all on his mind. There was also the vision of a lovely, intelligent lady who smelled of orange blossoms.
Tomorrow, he would see Edith again. He hoped she liked his home. He pictured her beside him as his hostess, his wife. She’d shown very little interest in Cecil as of late.
Was he wrong to hope?