Page 32 of A Dangerous Engagement

His heart slowed. The men should linger downstairs for quite a while longer, at least an hour. But most of them were already drunk when dinner ended. Lady Blackstone might order them to bed sooner, especially if any more fights broke out.

He didn’t want to leave this room without something of relevance, so he went back to the desk to continue searching.

After at least ten more minutes, he found two receipts—one from a gun shop in London and the other from a gun shop in Birmingham. And since the receipts were underneath several other papers, he decided to fold them and shove them into his pocket. They might not help him locate the arms stash, but they could at least serve as evidence against Ratley.

Perhaps Philip should not push his luck any longer. He turned from the desk and strode to the door. The knob turned silently, but when he pushed the door open, it made a creaking noise.

Philip hurried to close the door again, then heard footsteps. Someone was coming.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Felicity went to her room and looked in on Auntie. She’d taken a small dose of laudanum before Felicity went downstairs to dinner, and now she was in bed.

Felicity tiptoed to her side. Aunt Agnes’s breathing was heavy and regular, so Felicity blew out her candle and went back to the door.

Did she dare go and trespass on her hostess’s room? The thought of Lady Blackstone finding her was so terrifying her blood pounded in her temples and she felt a little faint. But how else would she find out the important information Mr.Merrick—and her country—needed?

Felicity turned the knob as quietly as possible, mentally preparing an excuse for where she was going and why. She heard only silence as she stepped out into the corridor.

Lady Blackstone’s bedroom was in another wing of the house. She followed the meandering corridor until she came to the correct door. She turned the knob, and it opened. Felicity went inside and shut the door.

Her hands were shaking as she gazed across the room. A single candle lit the room.

Where should she search? A small chest of drawers stood on a low table. A key protruded from the bottom drawer. She crossed to it, turned the key, and opened the drawer. Inside was a small pistol and a knife.

Felicity’s breaths came faster as she stared at the weapons. Shrinking away from touching them, she shut the drawer and opened another. Inside were papers. Felicity pulled one out and tried to examine it, but the light was so dim she could barely see the words written on it.

There were still some glowing embers in the fireplace, and the candle was on a table near it. She picked up the stack of papers and took them closer to the light.

At the very top were the wordsLancashire/Manchesterand below that was a list of men’s names and thenThe Red Lionand54 West Clover Street, Manchester.

Felicity looked at the next paper. At the top was writtenYorkshireand below that was another list of names and then29 Bleecker Street, Bridlington.

The other papers followed a similar pattern: a place name at the top, then a list of men’s names, then sometimes the name of an inn, and then a street address.

O God, help me memorize something from these lists.

She scanned the one titled “Lancashire/Manchester” and read over each of the names on the paper, the name of the inn, and the street address. She read them again and again until she was fairly certain she had memorized everything. Her hand was shaking so badly she had to brace her forearm against the side of the fireplace mantel.

There. She closed her eyes for a few moments to imprint the words on her memory. Then she went back across the room and put the papers carefully back into the drawer and closed it.

A female servant entered the room through a side door.

Felicity froze, not daring to move. The servant had walked beyond Felicity’s line of vision. Had she seen Felicity?

The servant seemed to be at the fireplace that Felicity had just left based on the sounds of someone putting more wood on the fire and using a poker to stoke up the hot embers.

Felicity’s mind raced. What would she do if the servant saw her? How would she answer if the girl asked her what she was doing there? She would surely tell Lady Blackstone.

The maidservant’s back would be to Felicity while she tended to the fire. Should she try to hide, risking that she would make a noise and draw attention to herself?

Before she could consider the option further, the maidservant walked back to the side door, went through it, and was gone.

Could it be that she had not seen Felicity standing there? Of course, the servant had not been expecting anyone to be in the room, it was rather dark, and Felicity had not moved while the servant was there. And after stoking the fire, her eyes would have been somewhat blinded by the flames.

Weak-kneed and atremble, Felicity turned and walked to the door leading to the corridor. She opened the door, and with only the barest sound, walked out into the hallway.

Her heart was beating so hard it made her feel sick. Her breath was shallow, but she quickened her step, hurrying out of that section of the house and into the corridor where her own bedroom was located. She could see it ahead of her, even as her vision was spinning and going dark.