Page 64 of Lady Edith and the Registry Office
Lady Edith’s smile upon seeing him made him nearly stop in his tracks. She might only be interested in any news he had about the missing veterans, but his heart hoped she was happy to see him.
“Lady Edith, Lady Louisa, it is a pleasure to find you here. I do hope you are both well after your exposure to Lady Sandhurst’s supper.” He took a seat on a chair.
Lady Edith nodded. “We are much recovered.”
Both ladies looked at each other, their eyes bright. Lady Louisa then said, “Go ahead. Tell him.”
He looked inquiringly at Lady Edith.
“We visited the registry office with Charlotte. She has since gone home to show Ashford something important. Something she found in the registry office only a few minutes ago.”
“Something important?” he asked with a frown.
Edith nodded. “A Rogue’s Alliance snuffbox.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Edith had been surprisedbut oddly pleased to see the baron enter the lending library, as she was confident the gentleman would be excited to hear about the snuffbox.
She and Louisa had just put Charlotte in Ashford’s carriage and sent her home with the snuffbox. Returning to Thorne’s, the women discussed the implications of the box found in the registry office, sure Ashford and his friends would want to keep the discovery of the snuffbox a secret.
“Did you come to the lending library to seek us out?” she asked lightly. And admittedly, hopefully.
“I did.” He paused. “How did Charlotte find the snuffbox? The registry office is currently closed.”
“We decided to search the office.” She felt the color rise in her cheeks. “After Mr. Porter let us into the registry, I pretended I had lost an earbob. When we searched the office, Charlotte found the snuffbox under a pile of papers on the bookshelf in the lobby.”
The baron replied, “I’m glad you didn’t visit the registry alone. We all must be careful in the future. The discovery of the snuffbox proves that someone who visited the registry is a member of the RA.”
“Finding the snuffbox gave poor Charlotte a turn. We sent her home in Ashford’s carriage,” Louisa added.
The baron let out a breath. “Ashford might not be too keen on his wife investigating the disappearance of the veterans in her condition.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have brought Charlotte into this.” Edith shook her head, upset with herself.
“Once Charlotte knew what you planned, I don’t think you could have prevented her from helping,” Louisa pointed out.
