Page 69 of Lady Louisa and the Carriage Clock
“Right now, I’m more concerned with my former maid Eliza residing in your household. I just learned Eliza tended to Lord Daventry before he died.” He relayed the conversation he’d had between himself and Henry. “You should also know that my cook was found murdered in the mews today.”
Despite the low light in the carriage, Cecil could see Nathaniel turn pale. “Faith! What was the cause of death?”
“He was poisoned,” he replied grimly. “By arsenic, I would wager, just like Lord Daventry.”
“We have to get Eliza out of my house.”
“Exactly.” He added, “I am so sorry, Nathaniel. If anything were to happen to Edith, I would never forgive myself.”
“Right now, I’m more concerned about Louisa.”
Nathaniel recounted the conversation between Louisa and the Ketterings at the dinner party that evening.
“Louisa surely waded into it.” He shook his head. “What was she thinking?”
“I escorted her home myself. She is safe.”
Cecil wasn’t so sure that was the case. There was no way of knowing whether the RA had infiltrated Carstairs. He’d trusted Bones and look where that had gotten him. He had to hope having a father and four brothers in her home was more than enough to protect Louisa.
For Nathaniel’s peace of mind, he calmly replied, “We will be in Grosvenor Square in a matter of minutes. I’m sure all is well.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Louisa was startled by a tapping at her bedchamber window. Rising from her writing desk and walking to the window, she realized someone was throwing pebbles at the glass.
Opening the window, she looked into the garden, recognizing the maid she’d seen earlier cleaning up the mud in Edith’s home.
The young woman called, “My lady! I need your help. I have some important information for Lord Wycliffe about the clocks.”
“You should speak with Lord Harbury,” she replied automatically.
“He isn’t at home.” The maid wrung her hands. “I’m not sure who I can trust and this can’t wait. Lord Wycliffe speaks highly of you, my lady. I hoped you would help me.”
The viscount had mentioned Louisa? “I’ll be right down.”
She was still fully dressed, having not been home for very long. Nathaniel had indeed left Grosvenor Square to find Lord Wycliffe, and she was waiting none too patiently for some news about Lord and Lady Kettering.
The drawing room was empty when Louisa entered, locked the door behind her, and opened the French doors to let Eliza in.
“What information do you have for Lord Wycliffe?” she asked the maid.
The girl drew a flintlock from behind her back. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“What are you doing, Eliza?” Louisa backed away towards the locked door.
“Don’t move. I prefer poison to a firearm but make no mistake, I will kill you if I have to.” The girl stepped aside and motioned with the gun for Louisa to walk toward the French doors. “Do as I say, and the RA might let you live. We want Lord Wycliffe. You’re not important.”
Louisa walked to the French doors, thinking frantically of a way out of her predicament. She didn’t believe she would be allowed to live once the RA had Lord Wycliffe. The Rogue's Alliance never left loose ends. All she could hope was that the RA wouldn’t have any reason to seek out Edith.
“Open one of the doors and step outside. If you try to run, I will shoot you.”
Louisa wondered how Eliza would get them away from Grosvenor Square when she spied her family’s groom tied up in the stable block, his eyes closed. Two huge men wearing masquerade masks stood nearby.
“Tie her hands and gag her,” Eliza said in a low voice, and one of the men stepped forward to do so.
She didn’t struggle as one of the masked men tied her hands in front of her with a rough length of rope. There was no point. She would keep her eyes and ears open for a chance to escape.
“Is my groom all right?”
