“Ah, here is the section on fabrics and textiles,” she exclaimed. “And an alphabetical listing of the exhibitors…”
Charlie’s breath held.If only it could be this easy…
“Wilmer Upholsteries is not listed.” Glory blew out a breath. “So much for that idea.”
“Disproving a theory is as important as confirming it.” Chen gave her shoulder a consoling squeeze. “Now we know Wilmer will not have a booth showcasing explosive material.”
“Was that a pun, old boy?” Hadleigh said with faint humor.
“Let us refocus,” Charlie said resolutely. “We need to find out who is behind Wilmer.”
Fi canted her head. “Why don’t you ask Bernadette? She seems to know everything when it comes to fashion and society. And she owes you a favor.”
“That is abrilliantnotion.” Excitement flooded Charlie. “I’ll go to her straightaway.”
“Who is Bernadette?” Maria asked.
“A friend of ours,” Charlie said smoothly. “She writes articles for a magazine that covers the latest trends in fashion.”
“As fashion is not my forte, I’ll leave it up to you. Laurent, Calderone, and I will pick up where Granger left off and try to track Wilmer’s financials to its owners.” Maria pursed her lips. “I don’t need to say this, but we must all be discreet. If the First Flame discovers that we are not standing down, they will not hesitate to retaliate.”
At the wordretaliate, Charlie had to draw a calming breath.
“As to that,” she said. “I have been thinking that the First Flame seems to be one step ahead of us. How did they know to empty the manufactory? How did they know about Jack?”
Maria narrowed her eyes. “You are saying there is a leak.”
“I am saying the First Flame seems to have first-hand knowledge of our plans.”
“Are you accusing one of us?” Laurent said tersely.
He and Calderone flanked Maria.
The Angels moved closer to Charlie, but she waved them back.
“I am saying that, twice now, the First Flame has anticipated our moves,” she said evenly. “And I do not believe there is a problem on my end.”
Maria’s eyes flashed. “How dare you?—”
The door opened.
Charlie was stunned to see Sir Hewitt Lancaster strut into her drawing room.
Why would the butler let him in…?
The realization hit her at the same moment that he spoke.
“My apologies for my tardiness,” he said brusquely. “I’m afraid I had a problem with a pest.”
“Pest, sir?” Maria tilted her head at her superior.
“A mole,” the spymaster replied. “I have taken care of it.”
The meeting ended on a note of hope.
There was a plan in place to find Jack. His colleagues were pursuing Wilmer via a financial angle; Charlie was investigating a social one via Bernadette. Livy and Hadleigh would surveil the match manufactory for any leads. Pippa and her husband, Timothy Cullen, were leading a team of mudlarks to keep watch for suspicious activity around the Crystal Palace. Fi and Glory, along with their spouses, were analyzing what they knew about the First Flame’s explosive weapon and the exhibition to determine the most likely scenarios for the attack and how to prevent, or at least contain, the possible damage.
Although her business with Bernadette was urgent, Charlie had another matter to attend to first. She faced Sir Lancaster in her study, and neither of them bothered to sit.
