Page 101 of Lady Edith and the Registry Office
His valet frowned at the state of his employer but said little except, “Those clothes may have to be burned.”
After he bathed and donned fresh clothing, Nathaniel returned to the drawing room.
He poured himself a glass of port and sat on a settee next to his sister.
“Now tell me what happened,” Alicia said sternly. “You must have been in some trouble not to have contacted me before you returned home.”
And so he told her everything.
“Nathaniel, you might have been killed!” His sister crossed her arms over her chest, her color high.
“For some reason, I wasn’t. I don’t understand it. If Mrs. Stafford is behind the disappearances, maybe she doesn’t have the stomach for murder.”
Aicia replied, “That bodes well for the missing veterans. Are you any closer to finding those poor men?”
“Lady Edith has a plan to get onto the prison hulks at Woolwich.” He proceeded to tell her about what the lady proposed.
“And either you or Cecil would accompany Louisa and Edith to keep them safe?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
There was a knock at the open door to the room, and Binns looked in. “Dinner is served, my lord.”
Nathaniel escorted his sister into the dining room next door. Cook had made several of his favorite dishes, and he ate heartily, yawning several times during the dessert course.
“I think you need an early night,” Alicia said softly. “I am so glad you’re home, Nathaniel.”
“As am I.” He was exhausted but still worried about the missing veterans. What he wasn’t, for once, was depressed or restless.
Lady Edith had a plan, and they would carry it out. He believed they would soon discover what was behind all these strange events. Someone that was involved didn’t want to hurt him. Perhaps that somebody would be helpful in the end.
Soon after, lying in his bed, he stretched and sighed. His thoughts turned to Lady Edith, his mind replaying the words Cecil had said about her having feelings for him.
“I love her,” he said aloud, a certainty overtaking him. “And when this is all over, I’ll tell her.”
* * * * *
The following morning, Edith received a note from Alicia inviting her and Louisa to tea. She went upstairs to inform Louisa about the invitation and recount Edith’s conversation with her father the evening before.
“Your father is going to allow us to go to Woolwich?” Louisa shook her head. “I don’t believe it!”
“He isn’t happy about it,” she replied dryly.
“I imagine the invitation to tea is a summons to gather together and discuss your plan.”
She nodded. “I agree.”
It seemed an eternity until it was time to depart for Grosvenor Square. The day was dark and rainy, and both women wore outer garments in the carriage.
“Good afternoon!” Alicia greeted them with a smile when the ladies entered the drawing room after footmen took their Spencers and bonnets.
Lord Harbury and Lord Wycliffe were already in the room and rose from their seats. Edith felt warmth flow through her limbs at the sight of the baron.
A tea tray was in evidence and Alicia handed out teacups.
“Have we assembled here to discuss Edith’s plan?” Louisa inquired after taking a sip of tea.
Edith would have asked after the baron’s health, but it was just like Louisa to ignore pleasantries.
