Page 60 of Lady Charlotte and the Lending Library
“And Lord Ashford was somehow involved?” Edith asked worriedly, her hands clasped in her lap.
“Lord Ashford was present when the shooting occurred. He was not injured. William visited one of the coffee shops on St. James’s Street this morning and heard all about it.”
“Do tell.” Edith leaned in.
A maid entered with a tea tray. Once the tray was placed on a low table in front of Charlotte, she said to the maid, “Please see that we are not disturbed.”
The young woman nodded, exited the room, and shut the oak door behind her. The tantalizing aroma of warm cinnamon buns filled the room.
Charlotte poured tea and handed out teacups. “Lord Ashford was pursuing some suspicious gentlemen who’d been lurking across the street from Thorne’s. He proceeded to speak to them, and they ran away. The marquess apprehended one of the men, and the second man shot his companion.”
“Oh my! The killer must have thought the man would give away some information leading back to him.” Louisa nodded, stirring her tea. “It makes sense to kill him.”
She and Edith looked askance at their friend.
As she placed her teacup and saucer on a fiddleback mahogany table at her elbow, Louisa said with a shrug, “I didn’t say it was a nice thing to do.”
“William told me Lord Ashford made a statement to the Bow Street Runners,” Charlotte continued. “There are rumors he went out last evening looking for Mr. Landry, along with Lord Wycliffe and Baron Harbury.”
“The marquess and his friends should be careful,” Edith said softly, taking a sip of her tea. “I can’t believe people were murdered over Thorne’s Lending Library.”
Charlotte found it hard to believe herself. If Landry had hired thugs willing to commit murder- She must stay calm. Lord Ashford would be careful, and his friend Lord Wycliffe looked more than capable of dealing with danger.
“I did overhear one of my brother’s discussing that dark, brooding friend of Lord Ashford’s,” Louisa said conversationally, her attention on her teacup.
“You know very well the man’s name is Lord Cecil Wycliffe,” Edith responded with a roll of her eyes. “What did your brother say about him?”
Looking up, Louisa leaned forward in her chair, an animated expression on her face. “There are rumors Wycliffe left the Home Office to pursue the men he believes murdered one of his brothers and is squandering his fortune tracking down the killers. My brother also mentioned a violent London cabal named the Rogues Alliance. It is said James Landry is a member of the alliance. I didn’t hear anything else as I was caught eavesdropping by one of the maids.”
The reason the marquess was keeping an eye on Thorne’s was now clear. Lord Ashford was helping to save the library merely to thwart Mr. Landry and help his friend Lord Wycliffe. James Landry and his associates were possibly more dangerous than she knew. She hated to admit it, but her trip to Bishopsgate had been foolhardy.
“I do hope Lord Ashford and his friends know what they’re doing,” she said, attempting to keep the anxiety she felt for the marquess from her tone of voice.
“I’m sure Lord Ashford can take care of himself,” Edith said with a weak smile, patting one of Charlotte’s hands. “Do drink your tea. A strong cup of tea will make you feel better.”
She nodded in reply but secretly thought she would only feel better when Lord Ashford advised William it was safe to go back to Thorne’s. Returning to the lending library would mean the whole terrifying business was over.
* * * * *
The next day, Ashford, his elderly solicitor, and Nathaniel presented themselves at the offices of Mr. Jacobsen in Bishopsgate. The landlord’s son was seated behind his desk.
“Please notify your employer that I wish to speak to him about the murders committed yesterday. Advise him if he does not speak with me, I will be forced to tell the Bow Street Runners of my meeting with him two days ago. The police can then make what they will of his connection to James Landry.” Ashford and his companions stood silently as the clerk rushed across the room to his father’s office.
“Mr. Jacobsen will see you now,” the young man said when he returned a moment later. “Please go in.”
Ashford walked to the office and entered, his solicitor and Nathaniel accompanying him.
“Please have a seat, Lord Ashford,” Mr. Jacobsen said civilly, standing behind his desk.
“This is my business partner Baron Harbury and my solicitor, Mr. Gibbs.” Ashford took a seat, and the other men did as well. “We want to buy the property Thorne’s sits on.”
“To what purpose?” Jacobsen asked, his brow furrowed.
He shrugged. “To protect Thorne’s. You currently own the property. I want to buy it.”
“I own the whole street.” Mr. Jacobsen shook his head. “Why should I sell the land to you?”
He replied smoothly, “You were hoping for a deal with James Landry. Landry is now associated with the murder of two of his thugs.”
