Page 44 of Lady Louisa and the Carriage Clock
“From the description of his symptoms,” Lord Wycliffe replied, “he was poisoned over time.”
“Oh my! If that is true, one of his servants was probably a member of the Rogue’s Alliance.”
“Daventry was quite a bit younger than the old duke. And he was a widower, I believe.” Edith looked to Cecil.
“He was married only once, but I don't know what his wife’s name was,” the viscount replied.
“It would be all too easy if it was Diana.” Edith sighed.
“My mother has a copy of Debrett’s.” Louisa stood up and walked to a long dresser in the room. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a thick book. “The copy isn’t new, but I’m sure it isn’t so old as not to contain the recently deceased Lord Daventry.”
She thumbed through the book until she came to the family of the Earls of Daventry. Placing the tome on the table before her, Louisa was conscious of Lord Wycliffe leaning in close to read over her shoulder. Louisa closed her eyes a moment as the warmth of his body reached out to her.
Swallowing, she opened her eyes and said, “Lord Daventry was married only once and to a Lady Harriet Dawson, the daughter of a baron.” Turning more pages, she located Harriet’s family in the book.
Lord Wycliffe sat up straight in his chair, taking a deep breath. He drummed the fingers of one hand on the table in front of him a moment before abruptly ceasing the movement. “Pardon me.”
“I see no ties to Diana in her name or her husband’s. There was no issue from the union.” Edith sat back against the cushions of the settee. “Diana is the goddess of the hunt. Could hunting or archery be the key?”
They all sat in silence a moment before Louisa had an idea. “Let me grab my sketch pad and sketch the clock.”
She had brought the pad downstairs just for this purpose. Her mother thought it was strange but didn’t comment when Louisa placed it on a side table. She retrieved the pad and her beloved graphite pencil and drew small pictures of the front and back of the clock.
“Louisa, are you still determined to keep your clock at Carstairs?” Edith asked hesitantly.
“Why do you ask?” she countered blandly, not looking up from her work.
“You could be in danger.” Edith paused. “Isn’t that right, Cecil?”
She glanced up. “Lord Wycliffe?”
“It is true that my man Bones has heard whispers the RA is interested in your clock. They also believe I have the matching clock.”
She frowned. “How could they know you have the clock? I’m sure you were careful. Could someone in your household be in league with the Rogue’s Alliance?”
That question brought him up short. And he realized he hadn’t thought about how to smuggle the clock back into his rooms. Blast!
“What is it?” Edith asked the viscount.
He was reminded that Nathaniel had never received his missive about stealing Louisa’s clock although Bones assured him he’d handed the note to one of Nathaniel’s footmen.
“Someone in my employ could be working for the RA, and now I’m not sure what to do with my clock.” His reasoning had been off-kilter the last few days. He didn’t want to look too closely as to what might be the cause.
“Let it remain here,” she suggested quietly. “In a corner of this room is a Chinese cabinet that is extremely difficult to open if you do not know how. I will hide it there for the time being.”
“That will have to do for now.” He sat forward and glanced at her sketch. “It is an excellent likeness. I still have the sketch of your clock. Might I have this one as well?”
She felt warmth on her cheeks. “As I now possess both clocks, it would be churlish not to give you the sketch.”
Their gazes locked for a moment. Edith cleared her throat. “Perhaps you should hide the clock now. Eventually, someone in the household will come check on us.”
“Lord Wycliffe?” Louisa rose to her feet and put a hand out for the clock. She hoped he would trust her with it.
He handed it over without a word. Clock in hand, Louisa walked to the Chinese cabinet, with Lord Wycliffe and Edith following. Louisa pulled out a drawer, turned a lever, replaced the drawer, opened another, flipped a latch, and the front of the cabinet opened. She stowed the timepiece inside and closed the cabinet door.
Louisa walked to the door of the drawing room and unlocked it. It was a miracle that her mother hadn’t found a reason to enter the room and observe them.
“The clocks are safe for now. Cecil, I suggest we return home and reflect on the Diana clock.” Edith walked to where Louisa stood. “Perhaps we can ask discreet questions about Daventry and discover what ties the clock to him.”
