Page 58 of Lady Charlotte and the Lending Library
Her brother handed over a folded note on the finest vellum. The marquess’s hand was elegant, the letters well-formed.
There was a shooting near Thorne’s today.
She gasped softly. “How dreadful! I must let Edith and Louisa know about the shooting. Perhaps we shouldn’t discuss any of this with Mother and Father. Mother would never let me go near Thorne’s again.”
Charlotte returned the letter to William and raced upstairs to pen notes to Edith and Louisa. She included a request that the girls visit her at home tomorrow afternoon. Once completed, she dispatched a footman to deliver the missives to her friends.
Before she went up to bed that evening, William again pulled her aside. “There is no further news, and I agree that we shouldn’t worry our parents out of hand.”
“It seems I’m getting better at deception,” she replied in a soft voice, trying not to think too much about how Lord Ashford knew about the shooting.
* * * * *
The body of the dead man was carried into the nearby tavern to await the arrival of the coroner. His collar pulled high, Ashford walked in the rain to number four Bow Street in Covent Garden to visit the headquarters of the runners.
When he arrived at the crowded courthouse he was directed to a tiny office. The sign on the open door read CLERK. He walked in and a young man in a blue uniform rose to his feet from his place behind a small oak desk.
“I’m Lord Ashford and I’m here to give a statement to an officer,” Ashford said with a frown. “The sign on your door says clerk.”
The young man’s smile was apologetic. “Please have a seat, my lord. I assure you I am a constable. What with how crowded headquarters are, most of the offices here have more than one use.”
The constable resumed his seat after Ashford was seated on a hard, rickety chair. The young man opened up a large logbook on his desk and took a pencil in hand. “I will be more than happy to take your statement, my lord.”
Ashford briefly outlined his pursuit of the two men and the harassment that Thorne’s had suffered. “I believe the men I chased today were sent by Mr. James Landry.”
The officer frowned and replied sharply, “That is quite an accusation to make, my lord.”
“I do not make it lightly, I assure you.” Ashford looked over the brief notes the constable had written in the log and signed his own name below the constable’s signature.
“If we need any further information, you will be contacted, Lord Ashford.”
Back outside, Ashford was relieved to see the rain had stopped. He hailed a hackney, eager to return home and change out of his damp clothing.
He would send a note to inform Charlotte’s brother William about the shooting. The lady and her friends must stay away from Thorne’s until he knew the area was safe for her. For everyone.
Ashford returned to the townhouse and his butler informed him Nathaniel and Cecil awaited him in the drawing room. He quickly changed out of his clothes before joining the other men downstairs.
“News of the shooting is all over the city,” Cecil advised him.
Ashford briefly related the events of the afternoon.
“Murder!” Nathaniel shook his head. “Such violence over a lending library.”
“Innocent people could have been hurt,” he replied angrily. “The harassment at Thorne’s must stop now.”
“I agree wholeheartedly. My sister visits that library. What do you propose?” Nathaniel asked.
“Cecil, where would James Landry be this time of day?”
“At his office,” the viscount replied.
Cecil insisted they take his unadorned town carriage accompanied by a coachman and footman in nondescript livery. The viscount instructed the coachman to drive to Landry’s office in Cheapside. As for himself, Ashford realized he was past caring who might see him in such an unfashionable area of London. He must ensure the people he cared about were safe.
Although the curtains of the carriage were drawn, the day outside was bright, allowing the occupants of the coach to see each other. Although the coach ride across London took over an hour, the three men said little.
James Landry was not at his office.
“Mr. Landry left the building to deal with an emergency,” his clerk said in reply to Ashford’s inquiry. The young man looked nervous, not a surprise, as Ashford and his friends were surrounding the lad’s desk.
