Chapter 20
Charlotte leaned back against the pillows of the sofa, savoring the sweetness of the moment. “We really must do this more often.”
Aware that Eddy might, at times, feel a little overwhelmed by three lively boys, she had arranged a “ladies only” tea, inviting the dowager to join her and her young sister-in-law. The interlude had seemed to please everyone.
“Indeed, we must make it a weekly habit.” After casting a longing glance at the plate of gooseberry tarts on the table, the dowager poured herself another cup of tea.
“Though I shall refrain from a second helping of Mac’s excellent pastries,” she announced with a regretful sigh.
“Much as I hate to admit it, losing a bit of weight from the bread-and-noxious mineral water regime that I endured during my fortnight in Bath has made my knees feel much better.”
“There is an old adage that says one makes no progress without pain,” pointed out Charlotte, taking care to hide a smile.
“That applies to schoolwork as well,” observed Eddy as she looked up from her sketchbook.
“Mathematics is damnably— er, that is, deucedly—difficult to comprehend.” She made a face.
“Much as I try to find complicated equations as interesting as Raven does, to me they are simply a string of numbers that don’t add up to much fun.
” A pause. “Except for really practical things, like navigation. I am doing my best to understand the mathematics for that reason, but it isn’t easy. ”
“We all have our individual passions,” said Charlotte, “which I think is a good thing. Think of how boring life would be if we all liked and disliked the same things.”
On seeing Eddy’s cup and saucer had been pushed perilously close to the edge of the side table as the girl scribbled away in her sketchbook, Charlotte quickly rose and circled around one of the armchairs to prevent a spill of the dark-hued tea from doing mischief to the Axminster carpet.
“Why, those are quite marvelous!” she exclaimed, pausing for a closer look at the drawings.
“They’re just silly doodles.” Squirming in embarrassment, Eddy started to close the cover.
“No, wait!” Charlotte put a hand on the page. Eddy had sketched a series of caricatures of both her and the dowager— and several of Harper, who was sprawled in front of the hearth. “Alison, you must have a look at these.”
Eddy colored as Charlotte took the sketchbook and passed it over. “You’re being kind to make a fuss, but—”
“Good heavens.” Alison lowered her quizzing glass after a look. “I think you may be even more talented than Charlotte was at your age.”
“I absolutely agree.” Charlotte thumbed back through some of the previous pages and chuckled aloud as she came to some of the Weasels at work on one of Peregrine’s mechanical constructions. “You’ve caught Raven’s expression to perfection when he assumes generalship of a project.”
Eddy laughed. “He’s used to them taking orders from him.
” Her expression turned more thoughtful.
“Though Hawk and Peregrine are beginning to spread their own wings.” A pause.
“I think Raven might blame me for that. I’m not very good at keeping my opinions to myself, even though Wrex says I must learn to temper my tongue. ”
“There are times when discretion is called for,” replied Charlotte. “But be assured Wrex would never, ever suggest that you shouldn’t think for yourself.”
“Even though the beau monde seems to believe that ladies are incapable of coherent thought?” asked Eddy.
“Actually, it’s all the more reason to use your head as more than a mere perch for your bonnet,” counseled Alison. “Granted, I can get away with saying anything because I am old. Still, you are allowed to ruffle feathers from time to time. The key is always to do so with a sweet smile.”
Eddy thought for a long moment and then grinned. “I see that I have much to learn about strategy. We definitely need to do these teas often.”
Charlotte continued to study the sketches. “I detect the influence of Mr. MacArthur in the way you draw certain curves.”
“He’s a very good teacher.” Eddy looked up shyly.
“But I’ve learned the most simply by studying your drawings, Charlotte.
” Wrexford, of course, had a subscription to receive A.
J. Quill’s satirical prints from Mr. Fores’s shop, so all of Charlotte’s finished prints were delivered to Berkeley Square upon publication.
“If I ever manage to become half so clever as you are with both word and image, I will consider myself very lucky.”
“Now that I know you’re so interested in drawing …
” Charlotte couldn’t help but wonder what other talents Eddy was hiding.
For someone so young, she gave away very little about her inner feelings.
“We must be sure to visit the art exhibits around Town. You’re quite right that a visual artist learns a great deal about the nuances of craft simply by looking at other people’s work. ”
Her expression brightened. “I believe that there is an interesting show on Mr. Turner’s maritime sketches that will be opening later this week at the British Institution on Pall Mall. Let us plan on going to visit it.”
The suggestion seemed to please Eddy.
“And then, we should make a stop at Rudolph Ackermann’s shop, which sells a wide variety of art supplies.” The idea of spending time in such positive pursuits helped lighten the grey cloud that had been dampening her spirits of late.
Wrex and I mustn’t allow murder and intrigue to squeeze the little everyday joys out of life, she reflected.
And vowed to keep that in mind.
“Oh, I very much look forward to that!” said Eddy. But as the clock on the mantel struck the hour, she shot up out of her chair with a squeak of dismay. “Ye heavens, I must run and change, else I’ll make Raven late for our shooting lesson.”
“I have an idea,” said Sheffield, once Wrexford finished telling him about Ainsley’s key, and how it looked to be a virtual match to one taken from the coat pocket of Campbell’s killer.
The two of them had stopped at White’s on their way home and were now settled into a pair of armchairs by the hearth of the Reading Room.
“Ainsley knows I’m interested in finance and has been very friendly and encouraging of my interest in the committee’s work on banknotes,” continued Sheffield.
“The fact that he also knows of my friendship with David Ricardo has, I believe, made him and his colleagues at the Bank of England think I’m more important than I really am.
So if I express an interest in learning more about the workings of the Bank, Ainsley will likely humor me—and as you know, I’m capable of asking a lot of frivolous questions. ”
“Including some about security?” mused the earl.
“Precisely! And as Joseph Bramah made the numbers machine for the Bank of England, it would be natural for me to be curious about whether the greatest lock maker in Britain also fashioned the locks and keys for the special vaults that were created ten years ago in the Threadneedle Street building.”
“It’s worth a try.” Wrexford set down his glass of brandy— he had yet to take a sip—and tapped his fingers together.
“But you need to be very careful, Kit. According to Griffin’s account of how the gang behind the Lisbon Conspiracy managed to steal the real banknotes, they knew the ins and outs of the Bank’s building and had access to the most secure areas of the treasury.
So we can’t rule out that someone high up was one of the conspirators. ” He paused. “Including Ainsley.”
Sheffield nodded. “That goes without saying. And as I’ve no desire to have my throat cut from ear to ear, I shall exercise extreme caution.” He, too, put aside his drink. “What about Stoneham? Were you able to learn anything useful from him?”
“Perhaps. He’s going to give me a primer on siderography tomorrow. Which I trust will allow me to tell whether Perkins and his associates are trying to pull the wool over our eyes.”
“My sense is that all of them are trustworthy,” said Sheffield. “But it never hurts to be doubly sure.”
BANG!
The shot’s echo was still reverberating within the cavernous space when a second pistol shot exploded with a flash of sparks.
“Well done, Lady Eddylina,” said Joseph Egg, who had volunteered to serve as shooting instructor for both Eddy and Raven.
“And you as well, Master Sloane,” he added, as the head attendant at Egg’s indoor shooting range called out where each of the bullets had hit the target.
“The two of you each nearly hit the bull’s-eye, which is more than I can say for a great many gentleman who come here to show off their skills. ”
Eddy grinned as she brushed a bit of gunpowder grit from her cheek. “Perhaps I’ll soon be ready to challenge Wrex to a match.”
“Pride goeth before a fall, missy,” chided McClellan from where she had been watching the action. “His Lordship is a crack marksman. It will take a good deal more practice before you can think about throwing down the gauntlet.”
“I—I did not mean to sound like a puffed-up popinjay,” she apologized. “It’s just very exciting to learn a new skill.”
McClellan’s expression softened to a smile. “I know. Just keep in mind that this particular skill is one that should never be taken lightly. With it comes a great responsibility.”
Both Eddy and Raven nodded their understanding.
“Clean your pistols,” said McClellan as she removed the wooden storage cases from her basket in readiness to transport the weapons back to Berkeley Square.
Given their ages and the strictures of Polite Society concerning young people, it had been deemed necessary for McClellan to serve as chaperone for them.
“And then we shall return to Mr. Egg’s showroom and make an appointment for next week. ”
“You both are getting a good feel for your weapons,” observed their instructor, as Eddy and Raven took great care in wiping down their weapons. “Come to my office when you’ve finished, and we’ll make a date for your next lesson.”