Page 86 of A Whisper in the Shadows

Tilda stored that information away for later. She wanted to speak with this night soil man, Mr. Oldham. But she also didn’t want Mrs. Burley seeing her doing so. “When do you plan to do that?”

Mrs. Burley waved her hand. “I’ll speak with her at church on Sunday more than likely. I’ve a busy day tomorrow already with my daughter-in-law.”

Moving on to a new subject to see what else she might learn from Mrs. Burley, Tilda adopted an eager expression. “I’ve just come from Eaton’s inquest.”

Mrs. Burley clapped her hands together. “I heard that was today. I’m sorry I missed it. Do tell me what happened, if you please.”

Tilda provided a description of the events and tried to make it as interesting and gossip-worthy as possible. “One of the most exciting things that happened today is that my brother was hired as the new canvasser for the Amicable Society.”

Mrs. Burley’s brows rose. “How splendid! That must be quite different from working at a gentlemen’s club.” Confusion marred her brow. “In truth, I can’t imagine why he’d prefer that. I should think working in the West End with the wealthy would be fascinating. Think of the gossip he hears.” Her eyes glowed with excitement.

“Nigel isn’t one for gossip,” Tilda replied. “I think that’s frowned upon at the gentlemen’s clubs anyway.”

“I suppose it would be,” Mrs. Burley said with a disappointed frown.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll do a better job than Timothy Eaton did,” Tilda said firmly. “He certainly has no plans to swindle anyone. In fact, he’s very committed to ensuring all those hurt by Mr. Eaton’s actions will be reimbursed.”

“Do you think there’s a great many more people than just Gilbert Cardy?” Mrs. Burley asked.

Tilda lifted her shoulder. “I think there must be. Nigel has vowed to discover the depth of Mr. Eaton’s cheating. He’ll also ensure that Mrs. Cardy receives the money her husband paid into the Society.”

Mrs. Burley put her hand to her chest. “Bless him. I’m so pleased to hear this. It’s a relief to know Mrs. Cardy will be taken care of. I do wonder about the future of the Amicable Society.”

“My husband and I are quite dedicated to it already,” Tilda said softly. “In fact, Mr. Nevill and Mr. Furnier have offered Albert the position of their third administrator, at least temporarily. That was the other exciting thing that happened. We hope they will want him to stay on permanently.”

“Really?” Mrs. Burley’s eyes flashed with surprise. “That is a shocking development, considering how new you are to the society. I wonder why they didn’t ask Mr. Draper, since he’s been involved since the beginning. Perhaps he wasn’t interested. And he is somewhat soft-spoken. He may not have been the right choice.”

“It seems many people are upset about what Mr. Eaton was doing,” Tilda said. “I’ve heard rumors that some have asked to leave the society and have their fees refunded.”

Mrs. Burley nodded. “I’ve heard that too, but I think it’s mostly bluster. Still, Nevill and Furnier should not underestimate people’s outrage.” Her eyes narrowed briefly. “I share their anger. I don’t think anybody in the society is sad that Mr. Eaton met his maker.”

“You think he deserved to die?” Tilda asked.

“I think what he did was despicable, and I would not fault someone for being angry enough to kill him. He hurt people’s livelihoods and their children. Poor Mrs. Cardy has five of them, and one is now sick. The money her husband paid into the society could be used for the child’s care. It’s terrible.”

Tilda glanced out the front window toward Mr. Phelps’s house. She thought of Hadrian’s visions, of seeing the administrators meeting there.

“You say you saw Mr. Nevill calling at Mr. Phelps’s house often,” Tilda said. “Did you ever see Mr. Furnier or Dr. Giles there?”

“Sometimes, but not nearly as much as Mr. Nevill. That’s because he and Mr. Phelps are—rather,were—friends. I don’t think the same could be said for Mr. Furnier and Mr. Phelps.”

“What about Dr. Giles?”

“I can’t say I’ve noticed that he’s particularly friendly with any of them. But then he’s very smitten with his betrothed.” Mrs. Burley smiled. “It’s always heartwarming to see people in love. I am not above trying to assist with matchmaking,” she added in a low tone, followed by a chuckle. “I did that for all four of my sons. I’m surprised your brother is not yet wed. Or is he widowed?”

“He’s unmarried,” Tilda replied, thinking it was time to make her exit.

Mrs. Burley’s eyes lit with excitement. “I was hoping you would say that. I’d love to introduce him to my niece. She’s very pretty and will be an excellent helpmate. Perhaps you and Mr. Beck—and Mr. Harwood, of course—could come for dinner next week?”

Tilda felt an odd prick of irritation at the notion of Mrs. Burley trying to match Hadrian with her niece. And it wasn’t due to Mrs. Burley being a busybody. Tilda found she just didn’t care to think of Hadrian marrying. It would impact their partnership, she reasoned. Whilst that was true, she couldn’t help acknowledging she was being rather selfish. If Hadrian wished to wed, she would have no say in the matter. Furthermore, hewouldmarry. He was an earl. It was required.

“I’ll speak with them about it,” Tilda said noncommittally. “I should be going.”

Mrs. Burley stood. “Perhaps next time you can stay longer. I’ve enjoyed sharing gossip.” She smiled broadly as she showed Tilda to the door.

Tilda bade Mrs. Burley farewell and hurried along Second Postern toward London Wall. Hadrian and Maxwell were waiting just around the corner.

“How did it go?” Maxwell asked eagerly.