Chapter Thirteen
E dith arrived at her father’s townhouse in Hanover Square to find footmen carting trunks and hat boxes up the central staircase and Louisa having tea in the parlor.
“There you are.” Louisa put down her teacup and saucer on a nearby table. “Thank goodness your housekeeper knew I was arriving today.”
Edith had spent the afternoon at the modiste with Alicia and had forgotten the time.
“I sent a note to Charlotte to advise her we were coming to nurse her,” Louisa said as Edith dropped onto a chair.
“Are you sure she’s up to having visitors?” she asked, wishing nothing more than to sit for a while with a cup of tea.
Louisa jumped to her feet. “She replied that we were to proceed to Grosvenor Square as soon as you returned home; she has some wonderful news to share.”
There was nothing for it. Edith followed Louisa from the room. She could have her tea while visiting Charlotte.
The carriage ride from Hanover to Grosvenor Square along Brook Street took only a few minutes. If there hadn’t been a light rain, Edith would have suggested they walk.
They found Charlotte reclining on a chaise in her bedchamber. Before the maid who escorted them to the room departed, Charlotte requested a tea tray.
“Charlotte! You’re so pale.” Edith rushed to her friend’s side.
“What does the doctor say?” Louisa asked, her tone reflecting concern.
“That my sickness should pass in a few weeks.” She smiled. “And then I will grow as round as the sun.”
Louisa gasped. “Weeks? Whatever is the matter with you?”
“Oh, Charlotte! Congratulations!” Edith hugged her friend briefly before taking a seat on a nearby plush chair. “Ashford didn’t let on.”
“I asked him to let me bear the news to my closest friends.”
“What is going on?” Louisa asked with a frown, looking between both women.
Charlotte grinned. “I’m going to be a mother, Louisa. Isn’t it wonderful?”
For several minutes, the women discussed the upcoming grand event, and Edith poured the tea when a tray arrived. “We need to take care of you, Charlotte.”
“I may not be volunteering at the registry for much longer,” Charlotte explained. “My doctor would like me to rest as much as possible before my confinement, and soon we will away to Kent. Diana said she will take my place as a volunteer when necessary.”
“We will help where needed, dear Charlotte,” Louisa replied brightly. “Won’t we, Edith?”
“Of course!”
As Louisa hadn’t seemed terribly interested in the registry, Edith wondered at her enthusiasm. Having Louisa in her home, perhaps she would learn more about what was under the other woman’s hard exterior. While Charlotte and Louisa had been friends from a young age, Edith had only known the women for a few months. They’d met at a ball during the season when Charlotte had rescued Edith from the unkind words of Lady Julia, a diamond of the season and a bully. The three women had been inseparable ever since.
“Where is Diana?” Louisa asked.
“At a tea drumming up more employers for the registry. She is determined to have a veteran employed in every London household.”
Edith supposed there could be no harm in informing the other women about the disappearance of the veterans. “There is a difficulty associated with the registry. Charlotte, has Ashford told you about the missing veterans?”
“He told Diana and me that a veteran didn’t report for his position with Sir Henry,” Charlotte replied.
Edith relayed what she knew about the two missing men. Louisa and Charlotte were her closest friends, and she had no doubt they would keep the confidence.
“And what did Diana say about the second disappearance?” Charlotte frowned, sitting up straighter on the chaise.
“I don’t think she knows about the second missing veteran,” Edith replied. “I was there this afternoon when Ashford told me the news, but Diana was gone for the day. I don’t believe the registry employees or Alicia know of the situation.”
“It isn’t our place to tell them.” Louisa shrugged. “And Diana isn’t often at the registry office when I volunteer.”
Charlotte replied softly, “With few entertainments this time of year, she is attending as many as she can to spread the word about the registry.”
Edith admired Diana’s poise and confidence and fleetingly pondered whether Lord Wycliffe did as well.
“Edith? You look distracted.” Charlotte raised a brow.
“I’m sorry. Just wool-gathering.”
“Let us not talk of the registry office. I’m sure the missing veterans aren’t missing at all. It may be a misunderstanding.” Louisa then asked, “Charlotte, have you decided on the colors for your nursery? I could help you to choose them.”
As her two friends discussed textiles and wallpaper designs, Edith wondered if Lord Harbury would find anything out that afternoon to aid in his search for the missing veterans.
Information he might be willing to share.
* * * * *
T o Nathaniel’s astonishment , Cecil was in his lodgings at number four Curzon Street, specifically in his drawing room cum study.
The room was decorated in burgundy and navy hues with heavy mahogany furniture. He wondered why Cecil and Lady Louisa didn’t get on better as they both seemed rather particular about furnishings and fashion.
His feet propped up on a leather rosewood frame footstool, the viscount nursed a glass of port. A plate on a small table at his elbow contained uneaten beef and potatoes.
“You look horrible,” Ashford said baldly, taking a seat.
“You could do with a bath and bed,” Nathaniel commented, taking up a place standing near the cold hearth.
“I might do that when I have the energy.” It was unlike Cecil to look so tired and miserable. “I have no clue what happened to your missing veterans. Despite my contacts at every level of London society, the men appear to have disappeared. Even Bones has come up empty-handed.” The viscount put his head in his hands.
Nathaniel had never understood what Cecil did during his time in The Home Office. He’d once asked if his friend had been a spy for Wellington.
Cecil had shaken his head and laughed. “Nothing so exciting, my friend. I was merely involved in commerce at the government level.”
Which made what Cecil did while in the Home Office as clear as mud.
“I see no reason the men would be kidnapped. They have neither fortune nor connections.” Ashford shook his head.
He observed, “I’m sure Bones would have ferreted out any links to moneylenders or gambling.”
“He would have.” Cecil still had his head in his hands.
“Although Lord Norwich dislikes me, I must speak with him.”
“Dislikes you?” Cecil raised his head.
He sighed, surprised Cecil didn’t know the story. “His son was a friend of mine and served with me on the HMS St. George .”
“Oh yes, the lieutenant that committed suicide.” Cecil frowned darkly.
He nodded. “His father blames me for his death.”
“You were transferred to that ship to root out a spy. Despite the efforts of the navy to downplay the matter, it is well known that Norwich’s son was that spy.”
“I’ll speak with the earl,” Ashford said quietly.
Nathaniel shook his head. “I should speak with him if he will admit me to his home.”
“The man is a bitter old fool,” Cecil replied with a scowl. “What happened to the lieutenant isn’t your fault, as anyone with sense would know.”
Ashford sighed loudly. “If the earl thinks you caused his son’s death, we can’t reason with him. We all know that grief can lead to madness if we let it.”
Ashford had lost his father, Nathaniel, both his parents, and Cecil his beloved older brother. Who in London hadn’t been touched by grief?
“Perhaps Lord Norwich is behind the disappearance of our veterans.” He asked Cecil, “Are there any rumors the man is involved in the RA?”
The viscount shook his head. “He is getting up in years and not involved in the RA’s machinations as far as I know.”
“We spoke to Henry Davidson’s wife. She mentioned that her husband was hired to work with horses, as was Seaman Fleet,” Ashford said thoughtfully. “Maybe that is a clue.”
“Nearly half of our veterans have been hired to work with horses.” Nathaniel added, “I have a contact with the runners. Perhaps we can keep these disappearances quiet until we know what happened to the men. I would hate to see the good work we’ve started end. The men have families. We need to find out what happened to them.”
“Have you told anyone at the registry about the missing men?” Cecil asked.
“Only Lady Edith,” he replied.
Cecil threw up his hands. “Why Lady Edith?”
“She assisted us with finding the contact information for both veterans. We can trust her to keep the information to herself.”
Cecil didn’t look convinced. “I hope you’re right.”
“You don’t trust anyone, my friend.” He shook his head.
“Only you two.”
They all looked rather embarrassed by that statement. Cecil must be tired.
Ashford stood up. “I am off for home. Charlotte felt much better today, but I should be with her.”
“Give my regards to your wife,” Cecil said with a yawn.
Nathaniel walked across the room. “Stand up. We’re putting you to bed.”
“I’m not a child.”
“Good. Then you know when your body needs rest.”
Both men were quiet during the carriage ride back to Grosvenor Square. Seeing Cecil at a loss as to how to proceed in their investigation was sobering. It was the reminder Nathaniel needed that his friends were just as human as he was.
“Questioning Lord Norwich can wait,” he said as Ashford exited the coach. “I have a friend who is a runner. I will speak with him tomorrow and contact you if I have news. You should stay at home. Taking care of Charlotte is the most important thing right now.”
Ashford ducked his head back into the coach. “I agree. Nothing is more important than my wife and child.”
“Child?” He smiled widely. “Congratulations, my friend! You will make a wonderful father.”