Page 46 of Lady Louisa and the Carriage Clock
The butler did not argue further and rose to his feet to exit the room with Eliza in his wake.
“Where are you sending them, my lord?” Bones asked.
“To Lord and Lady Harbury. I’m sure they can find a place for them in that huge house. I will write a missive to Lady Harbury to accompany her new guests.” He grimaced. “If I can find the instruments to do so. Afterwards, I want you to see Eliza and Acker to Grosvenor Square while I survey the rest of the house.”
Bones merely nodded, and Cecil made his way out of the kitchen and to the drawing room. He found ink, vellum, and a pen in the chaos and sat at his desk to compose a note to Edith. A thought struck him, and he added a paragraph requesting she accompany him to Carstairs tomorrow, hopefully for the last time.
“I have an idea to keep the Rogue’s Alliance from attempting to acquire the clocks,” Cecil muttered as he wrote, then folded the letter. If someone other than Edith read the unsealed message, at least there was nothing contained inside he didn’t want the general public to know.
Although Cecil trusted Bones, he would be more careful with his correspondence in the future.
Chapter Sixteen
Louisa was sitting with Edith listlessly embroidering a cushion when a footman entered Edith’s drawing room with a letter on a silver salver.
“It’s from Cecil,” Edith said as she opened the folded missive. “With no seal. How odd.”
She sat quietly as her friend scanned the note.
Edith then handed the paper to Louisa. “What a tangle!”
Lady Edith,
I humbly beg you to find a place for my butler and maid, Acker and Eliza. My rooms were tossed today, and I fear for their well-being if they remain in my employ. I will obtain a permanent situation for them as soon as possible.
Please advise Lady Louisa we shall visit on the morrow to discuss a matter of the utmost importance.
Your servant,
Lord Wycliffe
A knock came at the open door, and an older woman Louisa didn’t recognize entered the room.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, my lady, but I wanted to inform you that I’ve found rooms for the new arrivals in the servant quarters if that will suit.”
Edith nodded. “Excellent. I appreciate your swift move to do so. We will discuss their status at another time.”
“Very good, my lady.”
When the woman departed, Edith took a sip of her tea before saying, “That was my housekeeper, Mrs. Biggs. Louisa, if the RA ransacked Cecil’s home, you should be careful.”
“Lord Wycliffe has Mr. Bones keeping watch over me,” she replied.
“Really?” Edith raised a brow. “So our handsome viscount is concerned for your safety.”
“More likely he wants to protect the clocks,” she responded lightly.
“Louisa, you know that having both clocks at Carstairs could be a dangerous proposition,” Edith said hesitantly.
“You want me to give them both to Lord Wycliffe?” she asked. Truth be told, she had already begun to think the same thing herself. It wasn’t as if her clock would be gone forever.
Edith put down her teacup on a nearby table. “When Nathaniel hears about the burglary, he might want me to stay far away from Cecil.”
That gave her pause. Leopold and her father would feel the same way. If Lord Wycliffe wanted to meet with her tomorrow, it would be best if all of London didn’t know about the burglary on Curzon Street.
“We both might have to keep our distance,” she replied softly, biting her lip.
“And that would be awful, Louisa?”
