‘I can be useful,’ Lord Stanley said coolly. ‘You know very well I can. The Bow Street Runners answer to me. At my instruction, your operations would attract no scrutiny whatsoever.’
‘I admit,’ Wolverton said slowly, ‘that would prove extremely valuable. And severing ties with that sanctimonious fool Wilberforce certainly improves your standing.’ Greed flashed openly across his face. ‘But what else can you offer us?’
‘Name your price.’
Charlotte felt the colour drain from her face.
Wolverton took a measured pinch of snuff before replying.
‘Your charitable interests place you in an advantageous position. You have access to precisely the sort of girls we require.’
Lord Stanley sounded intrigued.
‘In what way?’
‘We require virgins for the trade,’ Wolverton replied casually. ‘And you, conveniently enough, oversee institutions full of desperate young women seeking employment. We could offer positions abroad—or in another county entirely. They would disappear willingly, and no one would suspect anything.’
‘And if questions are asked?’
Wolverton gave a low laugh.
‘That is the beauty of it. We select only girls without family connections. No parents. No brothers. No one troublesome enough to inquire after them once they vanish.’
A terrible silence followed.
Then Lord Stanley spoke.
‘It seems you have considered this carefully, Wolverton.’
A pause.
‘I accept your proposal.’
Charlotte nearly reeled with horror.
The very man she had risked everything to save now stood calmly negotiating with monsters.
What a vile creature.
‘Give me a few days,’ Wolverton said. ‘I must persuade the others first. We shall meet once I have an answer.’ The sharp snap of his snuff box echoed through the hallway.
Moments later, their footsteps receded.
Charlotte remained motionless in her hiding place long after they had gone, trembling from shock.
At last, she forced herself upstairs to the sanctuary of her bedchamber. Sarah, noting her distress, hurried after her at once. Charlotte nearly burst into tears at the sight of someone familiar and safe. She clung to her fiercely before recounting everything she had overheard. By the time she finished, her maid looked just as horrified.
‘What will we do now?’ Sarah whispered. ‘The entire plan was to unmask the Odd Fellows and then tell Lord Stanley the truth. But now—’
‘We cannot trust anyone here,’ Charlotte finished bleakly. ‘There is no telling who is involved.’
She bit her lip, dread coiling heavily in her chest.
‘What if he is merely pretending?’ Sarah suggested. ‘Perhaps he means to infiltrate them.’
Charlotte closed her eyes briefly.
The truth was she knew almost nothing about Lord Stanley at all. His past remained shrouded in mystery. What if Mrs Dent had been right? What if he had acquired his riches through dealings every bit as depraved as the Odd Fellows themselves?
