If Mr Payne truly was the Falcon, then this had to be done.
At length, Charlotte carefully steered the conversation back towards Mr Payne’s business affairs.
‘At least you need never worry for your future,’ she remarked lightly whilst arranging pale roses into a crystal vase. ‘It sounds as though your father has provided very handsomely for you and your brother. I daresay you are named amongst the beneficiaries of the family trust.’
Miss Payne brightened at once.
‘Why yes. Papa talks about it often. We have two, you know.’
Charlotte glanced up with feigned curiosity. ‘Pardon? Two of what?’
‘Trusts,’ Miss Payne replied importantly. ‘One is called Payne Holdings. And there is another Papa mentions frequently whenever his friends visit.’
Charlotte’s fingers stilled briefly upon a stem.
‘Oh?’ she said carefully.
Miss Payne narrowed her eyes in concentration.
‘Rose and something... ah—Rose and Thorns Trust!’ Her face brightened suddenly. ‘I remembered because Rose is my middle name.’
Charlotte could almost have kissed her. Miss Payne had just handed her the single most valuable piece of information in the entire investigation.
She struggled to contain her excitement as she and Miss Payne completed the final flower arrangements throughout the mansion.
Rose and Thorns Trust.
The name repeated endlessly in her mind. How strangely fitting it sounded—a name of beauty entwined with cruelty, much like the Odd Fellows themselves and their accursed symbol.
There were no entertainments arranged for the evening, and the gentlemen dined out at the club whilst the ladies retired early and took their meals in their rooms.
But Charlotte could neither rest nor sit still. She paced her bedchamber relentlessly, glancing every few moments towards the ticking clock upon the mantelpiece.
At long last, a gentle knock sounded at the door.
He had come.
‘Where have you been?’ Charlotte demanded the instant she opened it. ‘I have been waiting for the last hour.’
Lord Stanley entered at a considerably more leisurely pace than she appreciated. To her annoyance, amusement immediately flickered across his features.
‘I had no notion I occupied your thoughts so thoroughly,’ he replied mildly. ‘What on earth is the matter?’
Instead of answering at once, Charlotte watched him seat himself upon the sofa, leaving an unmistakable space beside him.
She pointedly ignored the invitation and took the armchair opposite instead. She needed a clear head.
‘I spoke to Miss Payne,’ she announced, unable to conceal her excitement.
Lord Stanley looked faintly surprised. ‘And?’
‘Well, she was reluctant at first—but I persevered,’ Charlotte said proudly.
He closed his eyes briefly. ‘I get the distinct impression you bullied the poor girl into submission,’ he replied dryly.
Charlotte fixed him with a gimlet stare.
‘I merely wished you to appreciate the effort involved.’
