Page 10 of Lady Louisa and the Carriage Clock (The Rogue’s Alliance #3)

“Y ou want to involve my wife in this mischief, Cecil?” Nathaniel frowned darkly.

Edith smiled softly at her husband. “Darling, this is important.”

Seated in Nathaniel’s drawing room, Cecil observed the couple: a worried husband and a wife who would make up her own mind about what she would or would not be involved in.

“All I need is Edith to accompany me as a chaperone.” He paused. “If she could convince her friend to get rid of the clock for her own safety...”

Edith shook her head. “I cannot convince Louisa to do anything she doesn’t want to, Cecil. She is a determined woman, which you well know.”

There was a short silence. His encounter with the lady in her bedchamber last night had proved how stubborn Louisa could be.

“If her brothers were to learn she might be in danger, that would be a different story,” Nathaniel said quietly.

Edith replied calmly, “Louisa would never forgive you, husband, if you spoke to her brothers and they gave away her clock. And I would not wish you to distress my friend. It should be her choice whether she gets rid of the clock. We women have so little power over our lives. Would you take that decision from her?”

It was his turn to exchange glances with Nathaniel. He knew Edith was correct. He sighed inwardly. It was difficult to understand why, but after their tense encounter last evening, he didn’t want to upset Louisa further.

Not because he felt any interest in the lady but purely because she was Edith’s dearest friend. He didn’t desire every future encounter with Lady Louisa to be tainted by her belief that he’d betrayed her.

“If you accompany me for a few minutes today, I can examine the clock, and that might be the end of it.” He paused. “There will be no further reason for you to be in harm’s way.”

Nathaniel frowned. “Perhaps I should come along as well.”

“That isn’t a good idea,” his wife replied. “Your presence would just draw more attention to our visit. You should proceed to Angelo’s School of Arms as planned.”

“Although Louisa will be expecting us, should we behave as if we weren't expected?” Cecil asked.

Edith worried her lower lip a moment. “I think that is a splendid idea. It would be the excuse that Louisa needs for not informing her family of our visit. If I sent a missive, she would have to tell her mother she was having guests today.”

He stood up. “There’s no time like the present.”

Nathaniel remained silent.

“I agree, Cecil.” Edith rose to her feet, bent over her husband, and kissed his cheek. “All will be well. I will see you this evening when you return from the academy.”

The lady donned a Spencer in the entry hall as Cecil took his hat and cane from a footman. It was convenient that Nathaniel, Ashford, and Louisa had homes in Grosvenor Square.

The day was sunny, cold for March, but Edith insisted on walking down the square to Carstairs.

“Please follow me to the drawing room while a maid inquires as to whether Lady Louisa is home to visitors,” a rather young butler said and showed them to that room.

When the servant had departed, Edith whispered, “The butler is a recent hire from the veterans registry office. I believe one of the footmen here is also a veteran.”

Perhaps when this business with the RA was finally sorted, Cecil would reopen his townhouse in Hanover Square and hire several veterans. Right now, he could not look that far into the future. In the light of day, he could see the exquisite decorations in the room; he imagined they were the result of Lady Louisa’s tasteful influence.

“Edith, Lord Wycliffe!” Louisa breezed into the drawing room. “What a lovely surprise! I’ve sent for a tea tray.”

The lady sat across from his stuffed chair next to Edith on a settee. She wore no cap, and her glorious copper hair shone with good health.

“To what do I owe this visit?” their hostess asked.

He looked about, noticing the open door to the room. “How is your family?”

“They are well, Lord Wycliffe. My brothers are out at the moment.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was a confrontation with Leopold. He didn’t want any further delays in studying Louisa’s clock.

“Lord Wycliffe was curious about the carriage clock,” Lady Edith said smoothly. “He thought perhaps you would allow him to examine it up close.”

There was a short silence as the tea tray arrived. Once the tray was placed on a low-slung table, Louisa said to the maid, “Please fetch the clock on the night table in my bedchamber.”

The maid nodded and left the room.

“Lord Wycliffe?” The lady gestured towards the teapot.

“Black. No sugar.”

The ladies took copious amounts of cream and sugar in their tea, leading him to wonder how they kept such slim figures. Lady Louisa’s figure was more voluptuous than Lady Edith’s. Pleasantly so.

He started at the thought and shook himself.

“Lord Wycliffe? You look nonplussed.” Lady Louisa stared inquiringly at him.

“I was wool-gathering,” he replied quickly.

They sat and sipped tea for a few moments.

“Are your parents in?” Lady Edith asked idly.

“They are not. They are viewing the exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery.”

“Shall we attend later this week?” Edith asked her friend.

Lady Louisa nodded eagerly. “Oh yes! Some of David Wilkie’s work is on display.”

There was a discreet knock at the open drawing room door.

“Come!”

The maid from earlier entered the room, clock in hand. Louisa motioned for the girl to come closer and reached for the clock.

When the maid departed, Lady Louisa placed the timepiece on the table before her. “I don’t see anything remarkable about it.” She sighed theatrically. “It is supposed to be part of a riddle, but I see no engraving or clues to a puzzle.”

Well done! The lady had spoken loud enough that any servant nearby would carry the tale that their mistress was disappointed in the clock.

“Let me examine it,” he replied evenly, although his heart pounded. He picked up the clock and turned it in his hands.

The clock was similar to his own. There were no engravings or carvings other than a maker’s mark on the underside of the clock and no hidden piece of parchment behind the pendulum. He wasn’t surprised. If the riddle were easy to solve, it would have provided little protection for the owner.

“I also don’t see any clues to a riddle.” He made sure to sound disappointed. “This clock is one of a pair. The other clock has faded into legend. I’m not sure this specimen is worth as much as it could be without its twin.”

“Nonetheless, it is a lovely clock,” Lady Edith replied soothingly, playing her part in the farce.

“And I still like it,” Lady Louisa replied softly, her expression anything but soft. Or yielding.

He surmised the lady was telling him that play-acting aside, she had no desire to give up her timepiece.

* * * * *

L ouisa felt confident knowing she looked her best in a day dress of jaconet cream muslin, trimmed with five rows of embroidery in a running pattern of leaves. The unadorned long sleeves of the dress emphasized her slender arms.

Despite having no visible clues to solve the riddle, she could tell by the interest in his eyes that Lord Wycliffe coveted her clock and believed it would be valuable in his quest to destroy the Rogue’s Alliance.

The viscount placed the clock back on the table as she pulled a folded piece of vellum from a hidden pocket in her dress. “I’ve made a few small sketches of the clock for you, Lord Wycliffe. After further study, perhaps you will find something we initially missed.”

The lady handed the vellum to him, and he took it.

“Your sketches are an excellent likeness,” he replied, studying the paper he held. “You are a skilled artist.”

Louisa couldn’t help but feel pleasure at the praise. She might not be able to play an instrument or do needlework, but she could draw.

“Thank you, Lord Wycliffe. I am proficient with pencils only.” She was getting better at accepting a compliment. And one from the viscount, no less.

Edith smiled, looking happy that her friend had received praise. That was Edith. Unselfish to the core.

“You have no desire to sell the clock?” Lord Wycliffe asked gravely.

“Not at present.” She took a sip of tea. “I have grown fond of it for the short time it has been in my possession. And my brother helped me to acquire it, so there is now some sentimental attachment to the piece.”

She’d spoken tongue-in-cheek, not being able to help herself when it came to provoking the man.

A moment later she was sure she had seen a light in Cecil’s eyes. He’d thought of something. The viscount took a sip of his tea and remained silent. Evidently, he did not wish to share whatever insight had come to him.

“You’ve had an idea,” Louisa whispered, raising a brow.

“I have?” His expression was bland.

“Oh yes,” she replied mischievously. “If you want me to consider selling you the clock, you’re going to have to be more open with me, Lord Wycliffe.”

Her words and tone of voice brought heat to her face. She was almost flirting with the man. His eyes widened, and it was his turn to raise a brow.

Louisa raised her chin, not retreating. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted that Edith was looking down at her teacup, one hand nervously fiddling with her earbob.

There was silence in the room except for the sound of their breathing and the pop of embers in the hearth from a dying fire.

Cecil sighed. “I believe the clues to the riddle are the subject of the clocks. The decoration of the clocks.”

“That is a brilliant idea,” Edith replied, looking up and dropping her hand from her earlobe. “What is the subject of Louisa’s clock, Cecil?”

The viscount picked the clock back up and studied it, turning it in his hands. “This kneeling figure that is chained is Cupid. The standing woman holding a bow is Venus. The torchieres and floral garland may or may not be relevant to the riddle.”

“You are correct that the figures are indeed Cupid and Venus.” Louisa rose to her feet and retrieved the Thomas Hope tome she’d left on a dresser in the room. “Both clocks are described in this book.”

Setting the book on the table before her, Louisa skimmed through the pages. “The other clock has a figure representing what I believe is Diana, goddess of the hunt. The sketches in this book are not as detailed as they could be.”

Once Louisa found the page she wanted, she turned the book for the viscount to see. “Legend states the riddle will unleash a devastating secret about the ton ,” she replied. “You believe that secret alludes to the Rogue’s Alliance, Lord Wycliffe?”

“Although there are many stories associated with the clocks.” The viscount studied the sketches of the timepieces in the book before returning his gaze to Louisa’s clock, never meeting her gaze. “It is hard to know which ones are true.”

Edith spoke into the short silence. “I can think of no one in the ton known as Cupid or Venus. Diana is a common enough name. What is significant about those names?”

“That is the riddle.” Lord Wycliffe kept his attention on the timepiece before him. “I also agree that the second clock depicts the goddess Diana.”

“At least we have a few hints now.” Edith asked hesitatingly, “Are you sure you don’t want Cecil to take possession of the clock, Louisa? You could be in danger from the RA.”

Louisa now had two pairs of eyes on her. The viscount’s last statement had convinced her of something. “Perhaps I could be swayed to give up my clock if Lord Wycliffe would allow me to examine its partner?”

“The other clock?” Edith knit her brows.

The viscount showed no reaction when she replied, “Oh yes, my friend. Lord Wycliffe most assuredly possesses the other Roman mythology clock.”