Page 69 of Lady Edith and the Registry Office
She groaned. “Louisa! Surely not! He has been kind and considerate to all of us.”
“Of course he has, he’s a gentleman. The baron shows an affinity toward you. Perhaps it is because you share an interest in the same things.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be too heavy-handed, my friend.”
“Well, he is more interested in your opinions than Lord Wycliffe is,” Louisa replied frankly, and Edith knew it was the truth. “Lord Harbury thinks your transportation idea is sound.”
“I wish we could find out more about the process of transporting convicts to New Holland.” She grimaced. “As women, we cannot request meetings with government members. And I can’t involve Charlotte in any further snooping. I imagine Ashford wasn’t happy to hear she was sneaking around the registry office with us.”
Louisa replied, “Lord Harbury will update us on his inquiries tomorrow in Kensington Gardens. That will have to do for now.”
Edith rose to her feet. “Let us return to Hanover Square. If my father is home, I can ask him what he knows about the practice of transportation. Perhaps he is privy to information that could be useful to Lord Harbury.”
* * * * *
After he sent a missiveto Ashford and Cecil, Nathaniel reread the article about transportation. Lady Edith had presented a reasonable theory. Men would be kept on hulks on the water until they were transported. Would anyone believe the veterans if they protested their innocence? He imagined not, as most people convicted of something were wont to proclaim their innocence.
Seated in his study, he was startled to hear a knock at the door.
“Come!”
His butler opened the door and looked in. “Are you at home to callers, my lord? Lord Wycliffe is in the entry hall.”
He imagined his friend would not enjoy being kept waiting. Good old Binns was one for tradition.
“Show him in.”
“Very good, my lord.”
Soon after, Cecil entered through the open door. “That butler of yours is a dragon!”
“He’s one for the old ways.” He grinned. “Have a seat. Port?”
“No. I don’t plan on staying long.”
Nathaniel leaned back in his leather armchair. “You received my note?”
“I intercepted it on my way out.” Cecil sat on the other armchair. “You think the murdered maid was the likely person who tampered with Lady Sandhurst’s supper?”
“I do. My driver says nobody entered the mews behind the house during my visit, which leads me to believe someone in the house murdered the young woman.” He handed Cecil the piece of vellum he’d taken from the dead maid. “I can’t help but think the plot to poison me was executed rather sloppily.”
Cecil looked over the piece of vellum and then placed it on the desk in front of him. “That note is proof the maid was involved. You didn’t get sick because you didn’t eat. Perhaps you were meant to become ill as a warning. We’re getting close to something.”
He threw up his hands. “But what? We’ve got employers who don’t appear to have any connection to the RA, a failed attempt to kill me, and a possible link to convict transportation.”
“Transportation?”
He nodded toward the magazine resting on the corner of his desk. It was open to the article about the visiting landowner from New Holland. “Lady Edith believes that our veterans could be slated for transportation. There’s an article inThe Gentlemen’s Magazinethat discusses how the landed men in New Holland need more inexpensive labor.”
Cecil picked up the periodical and proceeded to read the article to himself. When he was finished, he replaced the magazine on the desk. “I’m impressed. Lady Edith could have something there. And if the menarescheduled to be transported, they’re still breathing.”
He nodded. “For now. The hulks in our harbors are packed full of people. The possibility of sickness and disease before they even start the voyage is a real threat. On another note, one of my contacts in the Navy is confident press gangs didn’t pick up our men.”
“If you’re sure the men weren’t impressed into service, then transportation is the next theory we should investigate.”
“Lady Edith told me about the snuffbox Charlotte found at the registry office. Do you have it?”
Cecil pulled a weathered small black box from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to Nathaniel. “It’s definitely an RA snuffbox, but there is no way to tell who it belongs to.”
