Her friend popped to his feet and inclined a courtly bow. “Indeed we were, Lady Wrexford. I admit that I sometimes find the fellow’s sentiments a little too radical for my liking—”
Alison made a rude sound, which made Sir Robert chuckle.
“However, one can’t argue that asking uncomfortable questions is not always a bad thing,” he hastily added. “It makes us think about what is going on around us.”
They conversed for a short while on the present state of politics in London—Sir Robert knew Alison well enough not to dare suggest such topics were beyond the understanding of the female intellect—and then the dowager shooed him away with an imperious wave.
“Go have a chin-wag with your friends from the Botanical Society,” commanded Alison after rising and hooking Charlotte’s arm with her free hand. “I have some private matters to discuss with my niece.” To Charlotte, she said, “Come, let us stroll down to the lake. Word is that they have decorated the Chinese pagoda on the bridge with colorful paper lanterns.”
Charlotte allowed herself to be led away.
“Should I be alarmed?” she asked dryly, once they turned down one of the quieter footpaths.
Alison’s brows shot up in surprise. “Alarmed over what?”
“The fact that you have a suspicious gleam in your eye,” responded Charlotte.
“Oh, pffft, what nonsense.” The dowager walked on for several steps. “I simply wanted to tell you about an invitation I received. It occurred to me that it might prove useful for our current investigation.”
An invitation?That sounded harmless enough. Charlotte smiled, though the niggling little tickle at the base of her neck didn’t entirely disappear. “As I told you the other day—”
“My dear Charlotte, kindly drop that charade that no investigation is going on,” cut in the dowager. “I wasn’t born yesterday.” A rueful grimace. “Or the day before.”
“I—” began Charlotte.
“Ye heavens, do you really think I’m woolly-headed enough to believe that Wrexford would simply delegate to someone else the task of bringing the murderer of his brother’s best friend to justice?”
Charlotte felt herself flush.
“Or that A. J. Quill would not be taking a closer look at the race to build an oceangoing steamship, especially given the fire at Maudslay’s laboratory?”
“I’m sorry, Aunt Alison. I was only trying—”
The dowager stopped short and waggled her cane. “If you’re about to say ‘protect me,’ I just might swat you with my stick!”
Taking the ensuing silence as surrender, the dowager resumed walking. “Getting back to my invitation, it’s for a gala reception given by the Taviot consortium. The event is being held next week.”
A gala reception?That was news to Charlotte. And as to why Alison had been invited—
“Would you care to come along with me?”
She took a moment to think. Wrexford had told her about the conversation that Peregrine had overheard in the reading room of the Royal Institution. Granted, the boy might have misunderstood the nuances of what had been said. But given Cordelia’s concerns over the Taviot family—which was at odds with her own more positive reaction to Lady Kirkwall—the chance to spend some further time with Lord Taviot and his sister would give her a chance to form a more accurate opinion.
“Yes, I would very much like to attend,” answered Charlotte. “However, I can’t help but wonder as to how you came to be invited.”
“While you were off talking with Cordelia in private at Lady Thirkell’s soiree, I had a chat with Lady Kirkwall . . .” Alison gave an airy wave. “And I may have slightly exaggerated my interest in investing.” A small cough. “As well as the size of my fortune.”
Before Charlotte could reply, the two of them were hailed by Cordelia and Sheffield. Though they were together, the tension radiating between them was thick enough to cut with a knife.
“What scheming are you two doing out here in the shadows?” asked Sheffield, which earned him a warning whack from the dowager’s cane.
“Ouch!”
“I don’t scheme,” said Alison primly. “I plot.”
“Speaking of which, what brings you two here?” asked Charlotte. “You don’t usually attend Prinny’s parties.”
Sheffield looked around to make sure no other guests were within earshot. “Wrex mentioned that he was meeting with the librarian who overheard Greeley’s argument with his killer.” He then hesitated as his glance slid back to the dowager.
